Tartu pupils bring salt to school as meals become less salty

Some pupils in Tartu bring their own salt to school because they find cafeteria food too bland, ERR reported. The amount of salt in school meals has been gradually reduced since last year, school leaders said.

Nearly 70 school cafeterias are opening to parents and other visitors this week so they can try the meals. Few parents visited cafeterias in Tartu, where the adults who came were mostly teachers. They generally said they were satisfied with the food.

Priit, a teacher at Raatuse School, said he had worked there for nine years and eaten the school meals throughout that time. He described them as healthy and nutritious. Romeo, a teacher at Kivilinna School, praised both the vegetarian option and a pork dish, and said a meal costing 3.28 euros was worth the price.

But pupils have mixed views. Kivilinna School director Karin Lukk said children had complained that the food was bland as they adjusted to less salt. Katriina, a pupil at Kristjan Jaak Peterson Gymnasium, said she brings salt from home because there is not enough in the food. Her schoolmates Patrick and Jasper, by contrast, praised the variety and said they liked the meals. Jasper singled out schnitzel as a favourite.

An ERR reporter who tried the food also noticed less salt than they would use themselves, but said the vegetarian meal was tasty and well seasoned. The cauliflower was relatively flavourless, while the juice seemed unusually sour, possibly because no sugar had been added.

Some younger pupils avoid the sauces served with meals, leaving rice or buckwheat with vegetables on their plates. Raatuse School pupil Hugo chose corn and rice because he does not like sauces much. His schoolmate Aimee said she prefers sauces to other foods and that dessert is her favourite school meal.