Authorities of North Ossetia plan to improve school food after September

Since September 1, 2009, North Ossetia will seriously toughen requirements to medical centres and dining rooms in educational establishments in order to improve children's nutrition and health control. Now, only about 20 percent of schoolchildren of the republic get proper meals.

This was reported by Taimuraz Butaev, head of the Department of "Rospotrebnadzor" (Federal Consumer's Supervision Agency) for North Ossetia on April 21 at the roundtable convoked under the initiative of two branch committees of the Parliament of North Ossetia to discuss the influence of educational process on the state of health of children and pupils.

"40 percent of schoolchildren come to school hungry; others have in the morning at home a glass of tea with a piece of bread. According to calculations, 60 percent of daily pupil's nutrition should be consumed during the time, when they are at school. However, today in the best case it is a roll and a glass of milk or tea," Mr Butaev described the situation and reminded that from the start of the new school year it is planned that none of the schools will operate without hot meals. To solve this problem, only the schools under the administration of local self-governments of Vladikavkaz will need 18 million roubles.

School diseases can be minimized and considerably reduced through introducing outdoor games and development of mobile activity in children, as believes Victoria Belash, teacher at primary school No. 38 of Vladikavkaz.