Ilsur Metshin: “Children can learn in different ways, but must eat equally well in school”

(KZN.RU, October 3, Alsu Safina). Kazan children can dress and even learn in different ways, but eating in schools should be equally well. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, expressed this opinion at today's Business Monday. He noted that the city received a powerful plant for the production of healthy food due to the legacy of the Universiade, which supplies products to preschools of Baltasinsky, Vysokogorsky, Pestretsy, Verkhneuslonsky, Arsky, and Kaibitsk areas of the RT along with Kazan children's health care institutions.

Guzel Ananieva, the general director of the Department of Food and Social Supply, said that the menu in kindergartens and schools is tailored to the needs of a growing organism of vitamins, trace elements and rules of healthy eating. Growing organisms need 400 grams of vegetables each day for the prevention of heart disease. The brain needs phosphorus, which is rich in fish, to cope with the load. “Only natural products can be used in dishes for children without any flavor enhancers, hot spices and mayonnaise, to which children are accustomed to at home and in the networks of fast food, which is why school food seems tasteless to them”, she said. According to the speaker, the need to “spin the principles of healthy eating as active as it is done by a network of fast food” was originated long ago.

Guzel Ananieva cited the data of the All-Russian conference “The problem of modern school health”, according to which 15% of Russian schoolchildren never eat breakfast at home, while 21% have breakfast on occasion. “The older the child, the less likely he eats in the morning. 20% of them don’t eat soup during the day”, she added.

Ilsur Metshin pointed out that 62% of food children should receive in the first half of the day. “The issue of children's nutrition important for the city, for our tomorrow”, he said and marked that the issue engaged systemically in Kazan, mastering new technologies of preparation and delivery of semi-finished and hot meals. “We have made serious progress in this matter. Kazan is a site, to which colleagues come from all over Russia to meet and learn from the experience”, said the Mayor of Kazan. “But it is important for us, especially our children”.

Talking about the department projects, Guzel Ananieva said that Kazan’s experience in the field of social supply, in particular, the “School restaurants”, is of interest in other areas of the country, as well as the cities and regions of Russia. At the moment, 17 “School restaurants” function in the capital of Tatarstan. “This format is demanded by children and their parents and received a positive feedback”, said the director of the Department.

Guzel Ananieva drew attention to the fact that difficulties in delivering products to institutions arise from the fact that driveways blocked by vehicles of residents of nearby houses and agencies’ staff. Many establishments have narrow driveways and often require repairs. And drivers sometimes have to carry products on sled during snow drifts.

The Mayor of Kazan ordered to the Office of Education and heads of the district to check the condition of schools and kindergartens driveways “so that drivers had not to carry school lunches on a sled”. According to him, this is a common problem, including for educational organizations and institutions managers.

Daily the Department of Food and Social Supply of the city provides with food and supply products about 180 thousand children in Tatarstan, including supplying 30 thousand lunch boxes in 88 schools in the city, more than 8 tons of semi-finished products and 60 tons of food in 168 schools and 391 kindergarten of the republic.