The mayor of Kremenchuk complained about the tomatoes in the school cafeteria
During an inspection of a school cafeteria, Kremenchuk Mayor Vitaliy Maletskyi personally tasted the lunch served to the children. He gave the potatoes and pork high marks, but had some complaints about the tomato—the mayor called it mushy. Maletsky also noted the large amount of food that students leave behind after lunch.
Vitaliy Maletsky, the mayor of Kremenchuk, conducted an inspection of the school meals at one of the city’s schools. During his visit, he decided not only to look at the food but also to taste for himself what was being served to the children. The mayor paid particular attention to the vegetables. After tasting a tomato, he said it wasn’t very fresh. “The potatoes are fine. The pork is fine. The tomato is a little shriveled,” Maletsky said.
After that, the mayor went to the kitchen and asked to see the entire batch of tomatoes used to make the salad. He noticed some bruised vegetables and instructed staff to contact the supplier regarding their quality. Maletsky also checked the appearance of the portions served to schoolchildren. For comparison, he placed a reference portion on the table.
It turned out that the vegetables in it were cut into smaller pieces. On the children’s plates, the pieces were larger and cut differently. The mayor was interested not only in what the food looked like but also in how much the children actually ate. During the inspection, he noticed plates with leftover lunch.
According to him, in some cases, the children leave behind nearly full portions. Maletsky decided to taste one of the leftover dishes himself, asking for a fork to do so. He gave the potatoes and pork a positive review afterward. His main comment concerned the tomato.
The mayor stated that the city wants to figure out why schoolchildren aren’t finishing their meals. To do this, they plan to determine exactly which dishes are most often left on the plates. “We need to understand what the children are leaving behind, why they’re leaving it, and what we can change,” Maletskyi noted. This isn’t just about the taste of the food. City officials also want to focus on the quality of the ingredients and how school meals are organized.
What Parents Are Saying
After the video and photos from the inspection were published, a discussion about school meals began in the comments. Some users pointed out that school cafeteria staff do not decide which specific ingredients are delivered to them. Nor do they create the menus themselves; therefore, according to commenters, responsibility for the quality of the supplies cannot be placed solely on the cooks.
Other parents suggested that children might be leaving food uneaten because of its taste. One user shared her own experience with her child’s school meals and complained about certain dishes. At the same time, some people supported the mayor’s inspection. In their comments, they praised the fact that the official personally visited the cafeteria, examined the portion sizes, and tasted the food.
There were also critical comments regarding the organization of the free meals. In particular, one user noted that her son does not eat at school, but they continue to prepare meals for him anyway. Thus, during the inspection, the mayor focused on several issues at once: the quality of the food, the appearance and size of the portions, and the amount of food that students leave behind after lunch.
Maletskyi stated that the city must investigate the causes of such situations and determine what changes can be made to the school meal program. A separate issue is the quality of the vegetables, regarding which the mayor instructed officials to contact the supplier. This information comes from the mayor’s Instagram post.
