Reducing Risk Factors for Noncommunicable Diseases

This initiative supports and advances the school nutrition reform in Ukraine, aiming to enhance the quality of school meals, reduce the intake of salt, sugar, and saturated fats, and increase the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits. Additionally, the project provides practical tools and guidelines for food service providers and school administrations to implement healthier meal options effectively.

Key Activities:

• Developing content for the national web platform znaimo.gov.ua to assist school administrators and food service providers.
• Creating and promoting a comprehensive recipe collection for school meal providers, published in both digital and print formats.
• Organizing a major presentation of the recipe collection, featuring a live tasting event. The event was attended by Ukraine’s First Lady, the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Education, and received widespread media coverage. A regional presentation was also held in Lviv as part of the final phase of the “Acting for Health” project.
• Developing and distributing a video course on creating technological meal cards and school menus in line with new nutrition standards. The course presents an interactive format where students ask questions, and experts provide detailed answers, fostering engagement and awareness.
• Launching an awareness campaign to promote the recipe collection and video course.

1. Recipe Collection (Available online and in print)
2. Video Course

This recipe collection is an essential resource for improving school nutrition, supporting the implementation of healthy eating principles, and providing students with nutritious and delicious meals.

• Objective: To diversify school menus and demonstrate that healthy food can be both nutritious and enjoyable. The book includes step-by-step recipes and technological meal cards to streamline the work of school chefs.
• Adaptability: Recipes are designed for various types of kitchen equipment, whether modern or outdated. Each dish includes serving suggestions and presentation ideas.
• Content: The collection consists of 14 sections and 621 recipes, featuring traditional Ukrainian dishes and popular international meals inspired by European school menus. Each recipe provides details on ingredient origins, preparation steps, and potential allergens.
• Special Dietary Needs: The collection includes 80 recipes adapted for children with lactose and gluten intolerance.
• Compliance: All recipes align with Ukrainian government regulations (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 305, March 24, 2021) on school nutrition standards. The inclusion of standardized technological meal cards ensures consistent quality and portion control.

Access & Distribution:

• Print copies were distributed free of charge to schools, key stakeholders, and advocates of school nutrition reformthrough the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Acting for Health.”
• The digital version is available on [this website] and the Znaїmo platform.
  This project is a significant step forward in school nutrition reform in Ukraine, ensuring that students have access to healthy, balanced meals and that school chefs and administrators have the tools they need to make it a reality.