Sochi overhauls school meal benefits with quarterly support next year

Sochi's municipal council has announced changes to its school meal support programme for next year. The revised benefits will target specific groups of children and teaching staff, with payments made every three months. The decision came during a council meeting led by Elena Kanyuk, where officials also reviewed this year's progress.

The council session focused on improving school meal services, which have expanded since 2015. Funding increases have allowed free or heavily subsidised meals for all primary pupils and vulnerable secondary students. Next year's adjustments will provide extra nutrition support, including milk or dairy products twice a week, for low-income students in grades 5–11.

School menus are approved annually after discussions with parent groups. Parents or guardians can inspect cafeteria meal quality at any time. To ensure standards, the council stressed strict hygiene compliance and tighter quality checks in food preparation.

Meal services are handled by contractors chosen through competitive bidding. Priority is given to local suppliers and those from Krasnodar Krai for fresh ingredients.

The new measures will take effect from next year, with quarterly payments for eligible children and staff. The council's focus remains on improving nutrition standards while maintaining transparency and local sourcing. Parents will continue to have access to cafeterias to monitor meal quality.