«I've seen the video»: Sienkevych is outraged by the new catering for schools and promises to look into it

Oleksandr Senkevych is outraged by the new catering for schools and promises to look into it. Photo: NikVesti

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, has responded to a video showing porridge being cooked for schoolchildren outside under a tent in the rain. The mayor called the situation unacceptable and initiated an inspection.

He wrote about this in his appeal published on social media, according to NikVesti.

Oleksandr Sienkevych noted that the city's goal in switching to catering was to improve the quality of food for schoolchildren, not to deteriorate it. He added that the authorities will demand accountability from the officials and contractor who allowed the situation to happen.

Porridge for schoolchildren in Mykolaiv was cooked outside in the rain. Collage by NikVesti

«Friends, I have seen the same video as you. I would like to emphasise that the facts recorded in yesterday's video are unacceptable. We have already launched an investigation into this matter. The safety and health of our little Mykolaiv residents is a top priority for the city authorities. And these are not empty words. I am outraged by this situation. The food should be better, not the other way round,» the mayor wrote.

The city council is currently investigating the reasons for the violations. The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection and other regulatory authorities are involved in the inspection.

In addition, the mayor announced a press conference to answer all questions.

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«Tomorrow we will hold a press conference with all parties involved: The Department of Education, the catering company, the contractor and the State Consumer Service. We will provide full information, understand the situation and determine the next steps. We are acting transparently and will inform parents and the community about what we are doing to ensure safe and quality food for children. The perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions,» added Oleksandr Sienkevych.

Earlier, NikVesti showed the process of providing some of the city's schools with food prepared by a private company that received a catering contract from a municipal enterprise. The children's parents said that the children did not receive breakfast on Monday, and the food was delivered only in the afternoon.

After that, the Main Department of the National Police of Mykolaiv Region opened a criminal investigation into violations of the rules for preparing meals for city school students.

In August, Mykolaiv received 25.5 million hryvnias in state subventions for meals for students in grades 1-11, as well as 3.6 million hryvnias from the UN to improve the diet of primary school children. Another 3.6 million hryvnias of subvention was received in September. In October, it became known that the Mykolaiv community would receive an additional 61.3 million hryvnias from the state to organise school meals.

As you know, following a public outcry over the quality of school meals in Mykolaiv, the city hall decided to engage a private contractor. At the end of November, the municipal enterprise MPE-C chose the company «Prosecco 8», which will deliver food to some of the city's schools in December. During the open tender «PROSSECCO 8» became the only participant and winner of the tender for catering services. The price of the services was 14 million 279 thousand 658 hryvnias.

Who is the company that received ₴14 million for school meals associated with?

According to the YouControl system, the company «Prosecco 8», which was selected as a subcontractor, was registered in Mykolaiv in 2023 and has a registered capital of one thousand hryvnias. The company's activities are multifaceted: it provides mobile catering services, rents goods for sports and recreation, operates sports facilities, provides services to hairdressers and beauty salons, and more. The company is owned by Irina Stoieva.

NikVesti found out that Iryna Stoieva is also associated with another organisation — LLC «BBV 2021». The Register of Court Decisions contains a court ruling of 2023 on bringing her to administrative responsibility for violating the statutory procedure for making payments in the field of trade, catering and services. Iryna Stoieva is listed in the document as the manager of LLC «BBV 2021». The case concerned an unaccounted-for excess of alcohol and cigarettes in a cafe in the Zavodskyi district of Mykolaiv.

The YouControl system indicates that the head of this Mykolaiv-based limited liability company «BBV 2021» is Borys Birestnev, who is the son of the head of the «Proposal» faction in the Mykolaiv City Council and the head of the Inhullskyi District Administration, Hanna Remennikova.

It should be noted that Hanna Remennikova's family owns two popular restaurants in Mykolaiv: «Daily» and «Daily Sport». One of them, as the editorial board of NikVesti found out, employs Iryna Stoieva.

The decision to involve a private company in the organisation of meals for children in schools was previously commented on by the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych. In his telegram channel, the mayor said that within a month the city authorities would check the effectiveness of catering.