Forum: “Quality Standards for Children’s Nutrition as a Component of the National Health of Future Generations”

On April 28, 2026, at the IQ Business Center, a forum titled “Quality Standards for Children’s Nutrition as a Component of the National Health of Future Generations” was held at the initiative of business representatives who are manufacturers and suppliers of children’s food products.

The relevance of this topic is underscored by the need to establish practical mechanisms for ensuring the quality of infant and child nutrition and improving the procurement system.

One of the organizers of this event was the State Institution «Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine,» along with the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Kyiv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National University of Food Technologies, the Association “Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine,” the VI International Scientific Conference “Healthy Nutrition from Childhood to Longevity: A Comprehensive Approach, Current Status, and Prospects,” and the Association “Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine.”

The first speaker at the Forum during the first panel discussion – “Nutrition for Children in Educational Institutions as the Foundation for the Health of Future Generations” – was Dr. Maria Gulich, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor and Head of the Department of Nutrition Hygiene and Safety of Food Products at the State Institution «Marzieiev Institute for Public Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.»

She dedicated her presentation, “High-Quality and Safe Nutrition as a Guarantee of Children’s Health: Challenges in Today’s World,” to the importance of nutrition as one of the leading determinants of a child’s health.

The speaker emphasized that it is precisely high-quality nutrition from birth that ensures a child’s health and harmonious development and essentially determines their health status throughout their entire life, noting that the issue of high-quality and safe nutrition as a guarantee of children’s health in wartime takes on special significance, and adherence to nutritional quality standards for children is not merely important but critically important.

At the same time, the quality of children’s nutrition cannot be compromised but must be guaranteed.

She confirmed that quality standards for children’s nutrition in Ukraine are legally regulated and defined by regulatory documents.

However, it is not enough to simply define standards. It is important to ensure their implementation in practice. She expressed concern regarding the fact that, first, during the period of martial law, it is legally permitted to alter the ingredient composition, which may differ from that specified in the regulatory document.

Second, the procurement of food for children is carried out using a single method applicable to all food products, based exclusively on economic criteria – that is, the issue is reduced to price. Price effectively displaces quality from the procurement system. Lowering the price of a product is typically achieved by replacing food ingredients with lower-quality, cheaper alternatives and by using food additives. This leads to a decline in the quality and nutritional value of the products.

Professor Maria GULICH expressed the view that the current procurement system does not guarantee the necessary quality of food for children, and the issue of preserving children’s health is called into question. She concluded that the quality of food for children cannot be determined solely by economic criteria and cannot be reduced to price.

The presentation was well-received and generated a strong response from forum participants.

The second panel discussion focused on the topic “From Producer to Educational Institution: Supply, Quality, and Responsibility,” aiming to illustrate the actual system of food supply from producers to kindergartens and schools.

Discussions focused on identifying practical mechanisms for ensuring the quality of children’s food and improving the procurement system so that, alongside price, quality, safety, and nutritional value become key criteria.

Following the conclusion of the program and discussion, a resolution was unanimously adopted:

• Establish a separate procurement procedure for children’s food with mandatory criteria: quality, safety, nutritional value, and price.
• Admit only participants with verified: permits, an implemented HACCP system, and specialized production facilities.
• Conduct inspections of products and supporting documents prior to contract signing, granting the customer the necessary authority.
• Establish accountability within the manufacturer-supplier-customer chain, with mandatory verification of product origin and the existence of a contract with the manufacturer.

(date of publication on the website: 01.05.2026)