Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Minister for Communities and Territories Development, told that the regulatory framework for the implementation of new models of catering - both the modernisation of catering units in educational institutions and the effective use of the targeted subvention - has been created. In particular, the Code and Guidelines for School Catering have been approved, and new building codes have been developed. Digital tools are being used more widely at the community level.

"Together, we have already come a long way - from the pilot reform in Kyiv region to the involvement of all regions in a cascade method. This year, the first factory kitchen in Ukraine has already started operating in Bucha. The construction of the second factory kitchen is underway in Lozova, Kharkiv region. We continue to upgrade our catering facilities. We have created culinary hubs where more than 6,000 chefs have been trained.

Next year, we plan to teach communities to form investment project portfolios as part of the public investment reform. This will make it easier for people and international partners to understand," said Oleksii Kuleba.

First Lady Olena Zelenska noted that this reform was highly praised by international partners during the European Regional School Meals Summit in November. The First Lady also thanked the international partners of the reform.

According to Oleksiy Kuleba, in 2024, the regions held 19 forums that brought together more than 2,800 participants and 1,200 educational institutions. As a result, based on the National Strategy for reforming the school nutrition system. The task for next year is to implement the strategic documents at the community level.

• Financial and institutional capacity of communities by attracting additional funding for free meals for primary school students.
• Modernisation of the infrastructure of school kitchens and canteens, which includes the repair and renovation of school canteens, as well as optimisation of school meals through the construction of factory kitchens.
• Human resource development, which includes the creation of training centres and the introduction of modern methods for school cooks.
• Communication on healthy eating to create a culture of healthy eating and qualitative changes in eating behaviour among children and their parents.

The reform is being implemented in Ukraine with the support of UNICEF, the WHO Office in Ukraine, the UN World Food Programme, the Howard Buffett Foundation, the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE - Decentralisation for Improved Democratic Education, the Ukrainian-Swiss Action for Health project, the European Investment Bank, and the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative EUACI.