Lunch under the Microscope: in Mykolaiv Oblast they'll inspect what children are being fed and what water they drink

In the Mykolaiv region, plans are underway to test the quality of drinking water, prepared meals, and conditions in educational institutions. For this purpose, the Main Department of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Mykolaiv Oblast has announced a procurement of laboratory and instrumental studies on Prozorro. Their expected cost is 711,910.83 hryvnias, and the services are to be provided by December 31, 2026.

A separate procurement direction concerns prepared meals in educational institutions. It provides for:

• 134 tests to determine the energy value of dishes;
• 78 tests to check the effectiveness of thermal processing.

Instrumental measurements will also be carried out in these institutions:

• air temperature and humidity;
• the level of artificial lighting of work surfaces.

For each type of such measurement, 50 services are provided.

Drinking water tests will cover both centralized and decentralized water supplies. The list of parameters includes:

• total microbial count, presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli), coliform bacteria and enterococci;
• pH level, content of ammonium, nitrates and nitrites;
• water hardness, content of chlorides and sulfates;
• dry residue and permanganate oxidizability;
• organoleptic properties — odor, color, turbidity, taste and aftertaste.

The procurement also includes parasitological and microscopic examinations of drinking water. In addition, the quality of disinfection of various facilities will be checked: sample preparation and tests for the presence of bacteria of the E. coli group are provided for this. The volume of each of these services is up to 300 tests.

The contractor will provide services upon the customer’s requests. Payment is planned after their provision — within 10 working days from the signing of the relevant acceptance report. Payment will take into account the specifics of the budget process under martial law.

Previously we wrote:

• Water at three bottling points in Mykolaiv did not meet hygienic standards
• School lunches under the microscope: Mykolaiv begins checking what children are being fed
• After complaints about portions and canteens: water, meals and sanitation will be checked in Mykolaiv schools
• The first complaints to the bot about school food have already been received: what’s happening in the region’s schools
• Coliforms and enterococci were found in drinking water in the Mykolaiv region