The Task group for the revision of the Rulebook for the norms and the standards of nutrition in the kindergartens held a working meeting in the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of North Macedonia. Some radical changes were on the table.
The Task group recommends increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, but also replacing the conserved food with frozen. The conserved processed meats and the industrial pâtés should also be excluded from the menus. Also, the artificial sweeteners, ketchup, mayonnaise should be excluded from the children’s diets, says the Task group, which also envisages removing margarine from kindergarten meals and replacing it with butter cold pressed oil.
The members of the Task group say it is important that children meals have energetic and nutritional values corresponding to the age and the needs of the children.
Jagoda Shahpaska, the minister of labour and social policy, pointed out that the diet of the children plays a key role in their health.
“The diversity of the foods and the intake of healthy meals by the kids in pre-school education is the key to their proper childhood development, because through it they can get the energy that they need to learn and to play, typically for their age. Hence comes the initiative of the Ministry for the complete revision of the Rulebook for the nutrition of the children in the kindergartens,“ Shahpaska said.
For greater care and protection of the health of the children while they are in the kindergarten, but also at home, the Task group on the revision of the Rulebook for the norms and standards of nutrition in the kindergartens envisages education of the children, the parents and the staff of the kindergartens.
The Task group will continue working time until the new Rulebook for the nutrition in the kindergartens is ready for implementation.
