From “basic cuisine” to factory: what will change in school nutrition

12 February 20:06

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has updated the procedure for providing subsidies to local budgets for the modernization of canteens in educational institutions, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".

The government says the changes will make the distribution of funds clearer, more transparent, and more convenient for communities, as well as allow for the completion of projects that were started earlier.

This refers to a state public investment program with a budget of UAH 1 billion in 2026, aimed at renovating food service facilities in schools, special educational institutions, and military lyceums.

Why did the government change the rules?

As explained by the Cabinet of Ministers, the previous procedure left communities with a wide scope for interpretation, which complicated project preparation and created risks of unequal access to funding.

The document was updated with the expert support of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI), which should reduce corruption risks and increase the predictability of the selection process.

“The update to the Procedure is aimed at making the mechanism for distributing funds clearer and more practical for communities,” the government said in a statement.

What was allowed and what was restricted

The key change is the possibility of completing projects that were started in 2025 and are at least 60% complete. Such projects can receive funding without having to start from scratch.

On the other hand, projects from previous years with a lower level of readiness:

will not receive automatic extensions;
can be submitted for selection on general terms along with new applications.

This decision effectively cuts off “frozen” or poorly prepared initiatives.

Who can apply for funding

The following may participate in the program:

public secondary education institutions;
military and military-sports lyceums;
lyceums with enhanced military and physical training;
special educational institutions.

The basic requirement is 200 students, but there are exceptions for smaller schools (100 students) if:

it is the only institution in the community where full-time or blended learning is possible;
transportation of students from other schools is organized;
or children from several institutions study in the same premises.

What exactly can the subsidy be spent on?

The funds are directed towards comprehensive projects, which may include:

purchasing modern kitchen equipment;
renovation and major repairs of dining rooms;
completion of projects started in 2025 (provided that they are 60% complete).

Projects are submitted according to three models of food service organization:

“basic kitchen”;
“support kitchen”;
“factory kitchen.“

Separate requirements are defined for each model, taking into account the number of students and the type of community.

How the money will be distributed

Funding will be provided on a co-financing basis from local budgets:

the share of the state subsidy will be from 70% to 95%;
the amount depends on the community’s tax capacity index;
confirmed co-financing is a mandatory condition.

Projects will be selected by a commission of the Ministry of Education and Science. Applications will be accepted for 20 calendar days from the date of the competition announcement.

Priority will be determined by a scoring system, taking into account:

the number of children covered by the meal program;
the availability of shelters in educational institutions;
the level of co-financing from the community.

The update to the subsidy procedure is part of the government’s broader policy on public investment in social infrastructure. Previously, the Cabinet of Ministers had already allocated: