The government program that provides hot meals in over 1,400 schools in Romania is praised by teachers and authorities. Especially since the food received is reason enough for many students to come to school. It cures others of food cravings, but also of fast food.
From the 2022-2023 school year, the National Program “Masă Caldă”, financed by the Romanian state, came into operation. Through this program, thousands of students received a hot meal at school.
Later, from January 1, 2024, the program became “Healthy Meal”. This program continues this year in more than 1427 schools. Since January 8, 542,000 students benefit from a hot meal at school or a cold food package. However, most schools have opted for hot food, contracts have been concluded with various restaurants or catering companies that can provide cooked food to the children at school.
Teachers, parents and students say that the program is a success, with unexpected effects in certain cases. Most of the schools included in the program are from rural areas, and for many students the hot meal is a real blessing. Some come to school just for the food portion. On top of that, in the urban environment, the hot meal helped many students to give up fast food and stop eating too much.
“Most of the students are commuters and the hot meal is a real help”
In Botoșani County, for example, there are over 12,000 students who receive hot meals at school through this national program. Most of them are from the countryside. However, there are also educational units in the urban environment that benefit from the program. One of these is the High School with Sports Program, a school with a special characteristic, which gathers schoolchildren from different backgrounds, from all corners of the county. Both students from the city and those from the countryside study here. Many are commuters and the vocational profile of the high school, with training hours after class, makes the hot meal a real blessing.
“At the High School with a Sports Program, this program has been running for four or five years, from the pilot program phase, but the novelty starting from the year 2025-2026 is that indeed, and with the support of the Botoșani City Hall, we managed to bring hot meals to the students. For us with the sports vocational profile, it is a great advantage. Most of the students are commuters who leave home in the morning, they have an average of five hours of class per day, followed by two hours of training and this hot meal is a real help for them but also for their families”says Gabriel Hârtie, the director of the high school.
“Some of the funnier ones joined the group spirit”
Around 800 students study at the Sports High School in Botoșani, from the preparatory class to the high school level. Everyone receives a hot meal at the long break from 9.45. Parents were asked not to give their children a package from home. All students eat the same food, received through the program, which eliminates social differences. In addition, picky eaters, generally from urban areas, cured themselves by eating with others.
“We are happy to get them used to a routine, they all eat the same food. Coming from different backgrounds, when they came to school with packets, they looked at each other and there were discrepancies, maybe painful for some children. We agreed with the parents not to receive packets from home because they are used to eating collectively. Some of the fussier ones joined the group spirit and even eat the school food. If we we refer to the 800 students in general, to those who have two training sessions a day, we can say that they happily receive the portion of hot food. Especially since they are commuting from the country. In our class, everyone only eats the packet from school and the fact that we have a hot meal in our bellies during the break is very good for us.”says the teacher for primary education, Anca Bompa.
Last but not least, the students were weaned from sweets, snacks, fast food and other unhealthy products that they bought at break time from the kiosks in the area, to the detriment of healthy eating. “Learn to eat cooked, warm, healthy, balanced and nutritious food”adds Anca Bompa.
The parents, in turn, are satisfied. Fed up with school meals, students no longer resort to fast food products.
“For me it was a miracle. Every day he asked for money at school instead of a package. Because that’s what children do and he shouldn’t be any different. I gave it to him and he bought all the jellies and inappropriate things. Sometimes when he came home he stopped straight at fast food. He came home and didn’t even eat what we gave him, a soup, two courses. Now he doesn’t give a package, we don’t give money to school anymore, he eats there, cooked food. And no he even stops by fast food because he’s full. And he ended up eating a lot more food.”confesses the mother of a 4th grade student.
The presence with hot food is held
In the case of rural schools, especially in more needy communities, the hot meal is truly a blessing. There are many students who confess that they eat better at school than at home. That is, they don’t have meat every day and some dishes they ate for the first time at school.
“There are children who really wait for the hot meal. They eat better at home”says Claudia Onofrei, Romanian language teacher in Drăgușeni commune, Botoșani county. More than that, thanks to the hot meal, school dropouts have been effectively eliminated at the level of the 7th and 8th grades. Many children actually come to school because they receive a hot meal. Once there, many also love teaching.
“School dropout was eliminated at the level of grades VII a and VIII a, where it was a real problem. The children are satisfied because the food is diversified, every day they get something different”adds Claudia Onofrei.
“This program is very important because the children are encouraged to come to school. Those who didn’t have a packet now eat with the others. Everyone has the same food and it’s very good”says Daniela Nichita, the director of the school in Drăgușeni.
What food does the Government offer a Romanian student
Each student caught in this project eats a meal with a daily value of 16.5 lei. 1.5 lei more than last year. With this money, students in many schools receive a different kind of dish every day. For example, the students from the Sports High School in Botoșani, received a grilled chicken with a side of natural potatoes and even a small portion of cabbage salad. On another day, the students had a portion of pasta with chicken. The menu also included chicken livers with rice and vegetables. At other schools, mashed potatoes are served with a portion of roast pork in gravy or a turkey stew with polenta.
Another menu option is pan-fried chicken with rice pilaf or wholemeal pasta with cottage cheese and raisins. On other days, children also receive grilled or baked boneless chicken legs, with a side dish of baked vegetables. For the first course, vegetable cream soup, beef soup, vegetable soup or chicken soup are offered. They are also offered food supplements usually consisting of fruit.
Students do not receive fried onions, only stewed and no other type of fried ingredient. Canned sauces and food additives are also excluded. Portions must be designed in such a way as to respect the nutritional and caloric principles officially recommended by the Ministry of Health, by age group. “We are happy that the food brought is hot when the children eat it and at the same time it is diverse from one day to the next”says Anca Bompa.
