Switzerland, particularly through the DECIDE project, is a strategic partner of Ukraine in the reform of school nutrition

Switzerland, particularly through the DECIDE project, is a strategic partner of Ukraine in the reform of school nutrition.

School nutrition became a central topic of discussion on April 3 during a meeting between the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, and a Swiss delegation headed by the Swiss Government’s Special Envoy for Ukraine Jacques Gerber, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine Felix Baumann, Jean-Luc Bernasconi, Simone Troller, and Ilona Postemska. The DECIDE Project Manager, Valentyna Poltorak, also took part in the meeting.

The main focus of the discussion was the restoration and reconstruction of Ukrainian schools and the ongoing reform of school meals, with Switzerland supporting Ukraine from the very beginning of this initiative.

"Switzerland has stood by us since the early days of the school nutrition reform, dating back to 2020. We are deeply grateful to the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss-Ukrainian projects DECIDE and ‘Acting for Health,’ which have supported us throughout every stage of this transformation towards modern and healthy school meals," said the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska.

The DECIDE project has supported the First Lady’s initiative for several years. During this time, we have:

– Provided expert and technical assistance in developing the Strategy for School Nutrition Reform for 2023–2027;

– Partnered in creating the national platform "ZnaImo";

– Nearly completed the setup of three culinary hubs for the training and retraining of school cooks and built a new school kitchen at School No. 13 in Chernihiv;

– Trained over 220 vocational education trainers in culinary specialties, who now conduct training for school cooks;

– Delivered training to more than 400 heads of communities and education department leaders on the implementation of the school nutrition reform.

We are finalizing a training course for school administrators on the reform.

Implemented with the support of the people of Switzerland, the DECIDE project is one of the key partners in advancing the school nutrition reform initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the issue of quality school meals has become even more critical—not only for children’s daily health but also for creating basic conditions of safety and care, even in the most challenging times.

Switzerland remains a strategic partner in this reform—from infrastructure development to supporting professional education for cooks. We are grateful for the trust, consistency, and shared goals.