International programs to provide school-age children with nutrition

Abstract

A short scientific report is devoted to the global experience of organizing meals for schoolchild­ren. The main priorities in the formation of rations and the form of organization of supply have been determined. Children's nutrition is the most important component of the formation of a child's health, it contributes to the preservation of health, resistance to physical factors of the environment, high physical and mental capacity. Before the COVID-19 crisis, at least one in every two primary school students received daily school meals in 161 countries (equivalent to 388 million children). For millions of vulnerable children in poor countries around the world, free school meals are a vital component of their daily diet.  A balanced school meal program is the key to optimizing the nutrition of the entire population of the country. School feeding programs play an important political role and are increasingly implemented by governments as a priority in national development strategies. Over the past decade, low-income countries have significantly increased their financial and policy efforts for school feeding, resulting in an increase in the number of school children receiving school meals. While school feeding programs in high- and middle-income countries are largely financed through domestic resources such as taxes and other sources, programs in low-income countries rely heavily on international donor support. According to the leading domestic hygienists, despite the ongoing conflict, one of the important priorities of our country is the continuation of the reform of school nutrition in order to bring it into line with international quality standards. Adhering to the basic principles of a complete and rational diet, you can achieve success even in conditions of limited resources.

Keywords: hygiene of children and adolescents, children's health, world experience in the organization of schoolchildren's meals, preventive medicine.