Until the end of the day – Newspaper Kommersant No. 157 (7358) dated 08/29/2022

Parents of primary school students associate the main problems of free hot meals with tasteless food, a small variety of dishes, unhealthy food and serving cold food. At the same time, 39% of respondents say that the situation has improved after the introduction of free hot meals, and only 16% say things have changed for the worse, according to the results of the Russian Field survey. Recall that Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to provide all primary school students with free hot meals from 2020. 40% of respondents say that after the introduction of free hot meals, their attitude towards the federal authorities has improved. Parents with low incomes are more likely to report an increase in likes.

The sociological company Russian Field conducted a study of the results of the reform of school meals. Recall to provide all primary school students with free hot meals instructed in 2020 President Vladimir Putin. In the same year was accepted the relevant law is that students in grades 1 through 4 must be provided with a hot meal and a hot drink at least once a day. By September 1, 2023, such meals should be organized in stages in all educational institutions. The expenses of the regions should be co-financed from the federal budget. In 2020, more than 22 billion rubles were allocated for hot meals, in 2021 – more than 59 billion rubles, in 2022 more than 63.2 billion rubles are provided.

The study was conducted in 16 regions: 1251 respondents from St. Petersburg, Dagestan, Kalmykia, Tuva, Ossetia, Bashkiria, YaNAO, Altai Territory, as well as from Amur, Bryansk, Volgograd, Pskov, Samara, Sakhalin, Tula and Tyumen regions.

According to the results of the survey, the introduction of free hot meals had a positive impact on the school lunch situation, according to 39% of the parents surveyed. Approximately the same number (37%) did not notice any changes, while 16% reported that the situation had worsened.

Moreover, among rural residents, there are noticeably more people who believe that the situation with school meals has improved. Respondents from Dagestan, Pskov and Sakhalin regions assess the changes most positively. But in St. Petersburg, Bashkiria and Tuva, there are noticeably more of those who believe that the situation has worsened.

The nutrition schedule and the well-being of the child after eating often receive high marks from parents. Most satisfied with the catering in Sakhalin, YaNAO and Dagestan. And in St. Petersburg and Tuva, they are even skeptical about the meal schedule and are not satisfied with how they feel after eating. “Respondents associated the main problems with free hot meals with tasteless food, a small variety of dishes, unhealthy food and serving cold food,” the authors point out.

According to 73% of respondents, in order to improve the situation, it is necessary to improve the quality of products and increase the variety of dishes.

Parents also suggest improving the equipment of canteens (69%), introducing a choice of dishes (68%) and improving the skills of cooks (57%).

40% of respondents said that after the introduction of free hot meals, their attitude towards the federal authorities has improved. Parents with low incomes are more likely to report an increase in likes. However, 56% of the respondents did not change their attitude.

The Ministry of Education did not respond to Kommersant’s request. According to Sergei Shatunov, deputy director of the RANEPA Public Relations Center, the study is not representative: it included data from only 16 regions, and the leading regions in organizing school meals (including Moscow, the Moscow Region and Tatarstan) are not represented in the sample. “It seems to me that it is necessary to interrogate not parents, but schoolchildren who use this service,” the expert believes. “It is clear that a lot depends on taste preferences and how the culture of food consumption is formed in the family. If a student eats well and qualitatively at home, he will have higher requirements for the nutrition provided by the educational institution. Therefore, there will always be those who are dissatisfied with the organization of school meals. Also, in his opinion, any large-scale social projects form the loyalty of people who are involved in these projects: “In making efforts to solve the problem of schoolchildren’s nutrition, the state recognizes its importance, demonstrates its social orientation, which, of course, affects the formation of a positive attitude towards the authorities “.

Anna Vasilyeva