A new regulation governing meals at children's institutions took effect last fall, stipulating that the average amount of salt added in food preparation over a two-week period must not exceed half a gram per day.

The maximum permitted amount of sugar, honey or syrup is 10 grams for children aged 3 and older in kindergarten, up to 5 grams for younger children and 5 grams for school lunches and other school meals. The changes were prompted by growing concern over childhood obesity and are intended to help children develop healthier eating habits.

Last year was a transition period during which children's institutions could introduce the changes gradually, but all of the new requirements took effect this September.

Some parents, however, are unhappy, saying that contrary to the regulation's aims, children's diets have actually become less healthy: Instead of eating school meals, students head to the cafeteria during breaks and eat pastries, chips or sweets. Families have shared experiences on social media, saying their children now find the food being served bland.

Kadi Toomi, principal of Tartu City Center School, told ERR that complaints about the food not tasting good were also raised at the school's recent parent meetings and the issue has been discussed by the school's board of trustees. Some students can be seen arriving at school with their own lunchboxes, while others simply choose not to eat the school meals.

"But it varies by school level. Students in the third stage of basic school eat very well and even ask for seconds," Toomi said, adding that there are more problems among students in the second stage, or grades four through six.

"Fortunately, we don't have a pastry kiosk right across the street, but during the long break when the weather is nice, we see students from the second and third stages of basic school running off to the store and we find chip bags around the school. But it's not a widespread problem," she added.

Everything starts with adults' attitudes

The issue is also familiar in kindergartens where parents can hold opposing views. Grisly Kuuskler, director of Paide Kindergarten, said it all starts with adults' attitudes as young children do not inherently know to crave salty or sweet foods.

"We've managed to handle it quite well. Every morning we have different things that make porridge tastier: We replace jam with berries, we serve omelets and no major problems have emerged," she said, describing alternatives to serving breakfast porridge with jam.

Implementing the changes is also easier at Paide Kindergarten because it has its own cooks and Kuuskler said staff worked actively last year on ways to keep meals as appealing as possible to children.

"The information sessions that were organized also helped a great deal. A lot of questions came up, more than there were answers to, but we realized that we need to make this change gradually. There's no need to be afraid of it or overthink it," Kuuskler said. "I know some institutions stopped serving jam overnight, but the rules aren't that strict. We can still serve it, just in smaller amounts, and berries and other things help."

Kuuskler added that the kindergarten often makes its own uncooked fruit preserves instead of using ready-made products, allowing staff to control the amount of sugar. Making food healthier requires considerable effort from the cooks, she said, but it is manageable.

Salt has not disappeared from the food entirely either, but less is used than adults may be accustomed to and other seasonings are also used.

"I always emphasize the importance of adults' attitudes. If we see it as a problem ourselves and talk about it in front of the children, the child will adopt that attitude too. But if we say, 'Oh, this is so delicious' — and our staff eat the food as well — then setting an example is the most important thing," Kuuskler said.

She said the goal is a worthy one: for children to eat more healthily and for obesity to become less of a concern.

The principal of Tartu City Center School noted that during last year's transition period, different approaches to catering were tested to see what worked and what did not. Toomi said all of the school's teachers also eat in the school cafeteria and if they were to stop doing so, it could be assumed that the food did not taste good. That has not happened, however.

Toomi added that she is accustomed to eating food with very little salt at home and to her taste, the food served at school can even seem too salty. Opinions therefore vary widely depending on people's eating habits at home.

"It takes a very long time to get used to any taste before we can say it's OK. If very sweet and salty foods are served at home, it takes quite a while to get used to the food at school," Toomi said.

She said the change could be considered positive if families work together with schools and kindergartens.

"But if families don't change their habits, then in the bigger picture it can feel a little like tilting at windmills," the principal said.

Availability of a cafeteria a factor

The Ministry of Social Affairs acknowledged that adapting to different tastes does not happen overnight. Ingrid Põldsaar, an adviser in the ministry's public health department, recommended that kindergarten and school cooks use the free NutriData nutrition program to plan menus. The program also includes sample menus that comply with the regulation's requirements.

"In addition, the National Institute for Health Development has prepared guidelines for cooks and caterers and has also held a seminar specifically addressing the new catering requirements. Since cooks and caterers are trained professionals whose job includes planning menus and preparing meals, their own experience and expertise are certainly important as well," Põldsaar said.

The maximum daily amount of salt specified in the regulation can already be found in a single slice of bread, but Põldsaar explained that the salt in bread does not count toward the limit because the regulation restricts the amount of salt that cooks add to food. The salt content of bread is regulated separately.

"Serving jam is not completely prohibited, but it has been restricted because of its high sugar content," Põldsaar said. "There are no restrictions, however, on serving sweet fruit with porridge, for example, which is a healthier alternative to simply serving jam with a high sugar content."

Põldsaar said most children still eat school meals, but the presence of a cafeteria also has a significant impact. A school meals study conducted two years ago showed that the school environment plays an important role in children's eating habits. If a school has a cafeteria or vending machine, students have easy access to it and take advantage of the opportunity to buy food there. Students are more likely to eat school meals at schools without cafeterias.

"It is therefore important to ask whether a vending machine or cafeteria should be part of the school environment at all and, if so, what products should be offered there," Põldsaar emphasized.

Under the Public Health Act, schools must follow guidelines on healthier choices when selecting food to offer for sale.

When the Ministry of Social Affairs unveiled plans to change children's meal requirements in 2025, it noted that an increasing number of kindergarten-age children in Estonia were overweight, as were children in the early grades of school.

Taavi Tillmann, associate professor of public health at the University of Tartu, said at the time that children's consumption of sugar and sweet snacks increases when they enter elementary school. He also noted that rates of overweight and obesity were rising rapidly outside Harju County, among non-Estonians and among people without higher education and that changing the food environment in schools was one way to improve the situation.

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