Putin's adviser called for a ban on pizza in Russian schools

Pizza, a traditional Italian dish, should not be served in Russian schools. This opinion was expressed by Elena Yampolskaya, an advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, who believes that such food is harmful to children’s health.

“Pizza is definitely not the kind of food that should be served in educational institutions. It’s not good for students. It’s one thing when a child enjoys it somewhere with their parents’ permission, celebrating a special occasion, and quite another when pizza is sold in the school cafeteria. I’m very surprised that this is even possible,” Yampolskaya said.

Putin’s advisor also called on state educational institutions to support the country’s policy of “reclaiming what is ours.” She emphasized that Russia has a rich culinary heritage, particularly traditional Russian cuisine, which children should be introduced to.

Commenting on the proposal to replace pizza with kulebyaka, Yampolskaya noted that not all parents have the opportunity to prepare traditional dishes at home. Therefore, in her opinion, schools should take on this task.

At the same time, according to a survey by the Elementaree service, it is precisely pizza from the school cafeteria that has become the most nostalgic dish for Russians. 25.7% of respondents said it reminds them of their childhood. This is not the classic Italian pizza, but rather a combination of thick yeast dough, sausage, mayonnaise, and pickled cucumber.

Earlier, Vitaly Borodin—known for his denunciations and initiatives to impose bans—demanded that pizza be removed from school cafeterias. He pointed out that Italy is on the list of countries “unfriendly” to Russia and supplies weapons to Ukraine.

“For a thousand years, our grandmothers have been baking pies, and now they’re selling us an Italian flatbread with ketchup… This isn’t just food—it’s soft power in a cardboard box,” Borodin stated. He called for more active promotion of kulebyaki, kurniki, roztyagi, and other traditional dishes of Russian cuisine.

This was reported by Russian propaganda media.

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