Greetings from the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine!

Switzerland has been supporting the development of the organic market in Ukraine since 2002, the next year will be the 20th anniversary of the Swiss-Ukrainian cooperation in the development of the organic sector and promotion of organic trade in both domestic and export markets.

TSwitzerland is currently implementing two "organic" programs in Ukraine. These are the “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP) and the “Organic Trade 4 Development in Eastern Europe” (OT4D) programs.

The importance of the topic of food for children is difficult to overestimate. Children are particularly sensitive to pesticides in food, they are a litmus test that determines the quality of food served at home and in school canteens. Therefore, school and preschool nutrition is a vital investment in human capital, which has a significantly positive impact on both the national and local economies.

An unhealthy diet and low physical activity lead to several health problems. That is why Switzerland, and many EU countries are taking measures to raise awareness of organic production, promote the consumption of organic products, encourage greater use of organic products in public canteens through public procurement, and increase the distribution of organic products.

Ukraine is at the beginning of this path. It is important to note that today Ukraine raises the issue of the importance of children’s nutrition reform, as evidenced by the signed Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, the First Lady of Ukraine, and other partners. The Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Ukraine Claude Wild noted that the communication campaign for the formation of culture and the development of healthy nutrition in schools is important for Switzerland as a partner of Ukraine, because it concerns children, health, education, and reforms. These areas are crucial for Ukraine's future.

Measures to promote organic products in schools and kindergartens will be implemented by the network of key organic stakeholders of Ukraine "Organic initiative" within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine”.

We hope that the international experience that will be presented at this conference will inspire decision-makers in Ukraine to introduce organic food in schools and kindergartens.

I wish the participants of the conference fruitful work and effective cooperation for the development of the organic market in Ukraine!

I am a father myself, so I understand perfectly well that children need quality food more than adults. And it is our responsibility to do everything to ensure that children are growing healthy and strong. Food is the main driver of body health. That's why I care what our children will eat and how will ecology feels after we leave.

Healthy food production is not just a word or just a marketing for us. We work every day so that everyone has the opportunity to grow a crop without chemicals and give their child healthy food. All activities of BTU-CENTER are aimed at offering a quality product that heals soils, ponds, fields, and, ultimately, people.

The scientific developments and developments of BTU-CENTER open wide opportunities in this direction for farmers around the world.

With biological products produced by BTU-CENTER, it is already possible to grow not just a rich harvest, but also high-quality and healthy ones. Products grown on biological products can be used as raw materials for the manufacture of kids nutrition.

Finally! From 2021, Ukraine will adapt the rules in the baby food market to strict European requirements. We already have the first steps to ensure that our children eat better and healthier in schools and kindergartens. There is already a ban on products containing sweeteners, the level of sugars and salt is also strictly regulated, sweet soda is removed, mayonnaise is excluded from the school diet and so on.

So we are already moving towards a civilized world in the field of food for schools. We need to support and strengthen this dynamic. How to do it? Follow the examples! That is why we share the experience of EU countries. And what do they have:

• - In Denmark, the goal is 60% of organic products in all catering establishments: kindergartens, schools, hospitals, etc ..
• - In Italy, since 2010 it is enshrined in law, schools should be fed mainly local and organic products. For example, in Rome they are 70%.
• - At the national level, Finland has set a goal of achieving a share of 20% of organic products in catering. According to the Finnish Food Safety Authority, such decisions have helped increase the consumption of organic milk in schools and kindergartens in general. According to the results of the 2019-2020 school year, the amount of organic milk consumed reached 2. 5 million liters, which was 22% of all milk consumed in schools and kindergartens.

Ukraine has the best soil in Europe, 90% of the grown organic raw materials are exported to the EU and do not remain on the domestic market. I am deeply convinced that we have every opportunity to take care of future generations of Ukrainians and provide organic food for schoolchildren and preschoolers. Only desire is missing…

"Do you like to eat?" absolutely all children answer "Yes!". Delicious, real food always remains a favorite kind of joy not only for children but for all of us, giving moments of pleasure, peace and confidence in the future. It's simple – I want them to have a future. A child is calm when parents fed him or created an opportunity to eat on their own.

Students want to be sure that adults in schools organize only a healthy menu. We asked: "Do you want organic products in the menu of your school lunches?" and they were genuinely surprised. «Isn`t it organic now?» Our team could not even say an honest answer, we were forced, as an adult, to switch attention… You can switch attention much easier than children's organism. And we will not switch the future so easily. It takes decades to change. So maybe it's worth starting now?! That is why we propose to focus on organic food for children. A new category "FOOD FOR CHILDREN" has already appeared in our catalog eatorganic.in.ua.

The food of the new generation, in my opinion, is not only about the authenticity and naturalness of both man and product, not only about human health and the environment, but also about finding new meanings of life with food, depth of understanding of its natural uniqueness.

When the life energy is given by a real parsley and a sincere person who grew it – for both parsley and man, there is absolutely nothing to hide. This is organic!

I wish all the participants of the conference to be sincere in their questions and attentive to the answers, because our chosen subject is very important today. Let's be in touch with nature, with each other and with what we eat.