Government allocates over UAH 7.4 billion to provide free school meals from 1 September: Yulia Svyrydenko

Communities must complete all the necessary procurement in advance and ensure high-quality meals for all schoolchildren from 1 September. This was emphasised by Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko.

“To support this, the Government has additionally distributed more than UAH 7.4 billion between local budgets,” the Prime Minister said.

According to the Prime Minister, the Government has also updated the rules governing the organisation of school meals to remove unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Meals can now be provided not only in school canteens, provided that sanitary requirements are met and food safety and quality standards are maintained.

Yulia Svyrydenko noted that the 2026 State Budget provides an unprecedented UAH 14.4 billion for this programme.

The expansion of the programme forms part of the implementation of the School Meals Reform Strategy through 2027, introduced at the initiative of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.