Semi-finished products will be used in all Kazan schools and kindergartens since March 6

(KZN.RU, March 6). School and kindergarten canteens will transfer to meat and fish frozen food department by production of the Department of Food and Social Supply from March 6. Guzel Ananieva, the general director of the Department, said this today at the Business Monday in the Kazan City Hall. According to her, this will significantly improve the quality of food, prevent theft of products, and reduce the share of manual labor of kitchen workers. “We can control the quality of raw materials, one hundred percent adding of the necessary ingredients, the weight of products, the entire process of cooking in the supply plant”, G. Ananieva said.

The range of semi-finished products includes cutlets of beef, fish, and meat, chicken and fish meatballs. “The structure of semi-finished products includes meat, onion, salt, breadcrumbs without any other additional ingredients as flavor enhancers and preservatives”, assured G. Ananieva.

The automated production line for the manufacture of cutlets was purchased. The new equipment allows entering the industrial production: up to 30 thousand of meat products per shift. “14 people are serving a line, while it would take 50 workers manually for making meatballs. The released workers are redirected to other areas of production”, said the director of the Department. According to her, the launch of the line will reduce the weight loss of the product during the heat treatment to 10-15%, previously the figure was 20%.

She explained that the violations occurred during the cooking process on premises: understatement of portions weight, calorie discrepancy and more. In 2016, the security service department has checked 145 kindergartens, 353 schools, where violations were fixed at 347 thousand and nearly 4 million rubles, respectively, and 15 cases of food theft were prevented.

The director of the department also said that the food shortages of workers blocks of school and kindergarten canteens, the absence or deterioration of equipment in most institutions are a powerful argument in favor of the use of semi-finished products. Thus, only 1,600 people out of 2100 the necessary kitchens workers currently employ, 60% of them are of retirement age. For these reasons, there is no way to cook needed complicated dishes in some kindergartens and schools.

The Department has taken steps to address the staff issue, and the first results are already there. The Department in cooperation with the Kazan Trade and Economic Technical School has developed a dual-learning project. Since the new school year, a specially equipped training center will be set up at the college, where students will receive production skills, and practice at the supply plant and school kitchens. “Even now, three teams of the college graduates are ready and have expressed a desire to work since April 1 as school cooks, and to replace old staff”, said G. Ananieva. In addition, the Department has introduced a system of an additional material motivation of employees of school canteens by the outcome.

The tight control is organized in the department and in the supply plant, said G. Ananieva. “With the help of the security services, several cases of abuse were revealed, administrative measures was brought to employees”, said G. Ananieva. In addition, it is necessary to exclude the turnover of funds in school canteens for the prevention of fraud with the money. In this regard, the work on the development of cashless payment system using the Unified student card continues. “This way the transparency of kitchens and control over the child’s funds for the parents will be provided”, summed up G. Ananieva.

Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, welcomed the initiative to transfer all school canteens in the cashless payment and instructed to continue its work. He reminded that the systematic work to improve the quality of service of school canteens and childcare facilities should be a priority. According to him, the children's health depends on a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet.

The Mayor of Kazan said that the most important quality inspector is public, parents' committees, and teachers. “The vast majority of cooks in schools and kindergartens is professionals who love their profession and our children”, marked I. Metshin. But there are isolated cases of infringements. The Mayor urged to deal with these facts. I. Metshin also ordered to pay more attention to explanations. “The single varied menu balanced with vitamins, with the necessary products should be used throughout the city, in all our schools and preschools. We need to bring this knowledge to children, to inculcate a culture of nutrition”, said I. Metshin.