The question of how school meals are organized is being urged to shift to a higher level of oversight, according to Olga Letkova, head of the Union of Parents’ Committees and Societies. She notes that today’s system tends to steer schools toward contracting with the cheapest food providers, which often results in canned meals that many observers believe are not healthy for children.
“Currently, tender laws seem to favor the most profitable bidder,” Letkova told NSN. “We save money on meals for schoolchildren while the quality can suffer. Parents’ chief complaint is that the food is canned; suppliers prepare it well in advance, sometimes ten days ahead, and the school simply heats it rather than cooking fresh meals on site.”
The social activist stressed that feeding children this way every day can have negative effects and called for fresh, real-food alternatives. He argues that leaving this responsibility solely to parents would provoke conflicts over differing tastes and dietary needs. Instead, he advocates forming working groups at each school that include parents and keeping overall supervision with the state.
“If the state does not protect this area, the risk of poisonings, disagreements, and health issues will rise again,” he warned.
Letkova also mentioned that questions surrounding school meals have diminished somewhat in recent times. Still, parents worry that the topic has been effectively closed off because they do not know what their children are eating at schools and cannot insist that health considerations—such as allergies or chronic conditions—be taken into account when planning menus.
There is a reminder that a bill outlining the right of parent committees to select suppliers for school meals is planned for submission to the State Duma next week. The aim is to formalize parental input and make meal procurement more transparent for schools and communities across the country.
Earlier, Russian senators encouraged visits to schools and tasting sessions in the canteens to review what is served to students. These actions reflect a broader concern: the quality, safety, and transparency of school meals, and the role that parents and local communities should play in shaping nourishment policies for young people in today’s educational systems.