New school food rules leave some children rejecting meals

Some children are refusing school and kindergarten meals after new rules reduced the amount of salt and sugar in food, ERR reported. Parents say the meals have become less appealing, while school and kindergarten managers stress that children’s eating habits at home are crucial to accepting different flavours.

The new regulation on catering in educational institutions took effect last autumn. It says the two-week average amount of salt added during cooking must not exceed 0.5 grams per day.

In kindergartens, the maximum permitted amount of sugar, honey or syrup is 10 grams for children aged three and older and up to five grams for younger children. The limit is five grams for school lunches and school snacks.

The changes were introduced in response to growing concern about childhood obesity and are intended to help children get used to healthier food. Educational institutions had a transition period last year, but all the new requirements came into force this September.

Some parents are unhappy, saying that instead of achieving its goal, the new approach has made children’s meals poorer. They say children are going to school buffets during breaks to buy pastries, crisps and sweets instead. Families have also shared experiences on social media, saying their children consider the food tasteless.

Kadi Toomi, the principal of Tartu Kesklinna School, said parents had complained at recent meetings that the food did not taste good. The issue has also been discussed by the school’s board.

Some pupils now bring their own food from home, while others simply stop eating school meals, Toomi said. However, the situation differs by age group.

“The third stage of school eats very well and even asks for more,” Toomi said, referring to pupils in the upper grades. She said the biggest problems involved the second stage, comprising pupils in grades four to six.

There is no pastry kiosk directly across from the school, Toomi said, but on sunny days pupils from the second and third stages can be seen running to a shop during the longer break. Staff also find crisp packets in the school building, although she said this was not a widespread problem.

Adults influence children’s attitudes

The issue is also familiar in kindergartens, where parents can hold opposing views. Grisly Kuuskler, the director of a kindergarten in Paide, said the process begins with adults because young children do not know to ask for salty or sweet food on their own.

Kuuskler said her kindergarten had managed the changes well. Each morning, it offers different ways to make porridge more appealing, including replacing jam with berries. Omelettes are also served, and no major problem has emerged, she said.

The transition has been easier because the kindergarten has its own cooks. Kuuskler said staff had worked actively last year on ways to keep meals as appetising as possible.

Information days were also helpful, she said. They raised many questions, sometimes more questions than there were answers, but helped staff understand that the changes had to be introduced gradually.

Some institutions stopped serving jam immediately, Kuuskler said, but she described that approach as unnecessarily strict. Jam can still be offered in smaller quantities, while berries and other products can be used as alternatives.

The kindergarten also makes its own fresh berry preserves instead of using ready-made products, allowing staff to control the amount of sugar. Making food healthier requires considerable effort from cooks, Kuuskler said, but it is manageable.

Salt has not been removed entirely from the food, but meals contain less than adults are accustomed to. Other seasonings are also used.