On January 6, the Cabinet of Ministers approved regulations for the organization of food services in state preschool educational institutions based on outsourcing. The document has been published in the Lex.uz database.
According to the regulations, individual kindergartens will have the opportunity to involve businesses in preparing meals for their students. Lists of institutions recommended for outsourcing their food services will be submitted annually to regional departments of preschool and school education.
By July 1, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare Committee and the Ministry of Preschool and School Education (MPSHE) will finalize a unified seasonal menu for kindergartens. When creating this menu, principles of healthy eating and sanitary-hygienic standards must be taken into account.
The MPSHE will determine the estimated daily food cost per student based on regional product pricing data. From this figure, the Ministry of Economic Development and Finance will be able to set the price for the upcoming year, taking inflation into consideration.
The Center for Organizing Nutrition in the Educational Sector under the MPSHE will be responsible for conducting tenders for food service organization. Suppliers with a minimum of 2 years of experience in the catering industry will be allowed to participate in the selection process.
The company must employ specialists (chefs, nutritionists, technologists) who have at least 2 years of experience in preparing healthy meals. The proposed price must not exceed the calculated amount by more than 30% or be lower than the calculated price by more than 15%.
The outsourcing provider must adhere to sanitary-hygienic standards and regulations during meal preparation. Additionally, they are required to invest at least 3% of the contract value into the development of the serviced institution.
The quality of food will be monitored daily by tasting commissions that include a medical worker, an educator, a chef, and parents or guardians of the students. Furthermore, a group will be established under the MPSHE to ensure that outsourcing providers fulfill their obligations.
In the event of violations, the Center for Organizing Nutrition in the Educational Sector will issue a warning to the outsourcing company. If the issue is not resolved, the procurement commission may terminate the contract and engage the next highest-ranking company.
Earlier, Spot reported that the Asian Development Bank would assist in opening up to 500 kindergartens in five regions of Uzbekistan based on public-private partnerships.