The national program "Healthy Meals" continues in 2026, over 1.5 billion lei allocated

The initiative aims to ensure daily food support for preschoolers and students in state pre-university education, with a dedicated budget of 1.531 billion lei. According to the project, the program will start on January 8, 2026 and will be fully financed from the state budget, through amounts deducted from the value added tax, directed to communes, cities, municipalities and sectors of the Capital. The document stipulates that the distribution of funds by administrative-territorial units and schools, as well as the methodological rules of operation for 2026, are to be established by a government decision, at the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Research. The program will apply only to students and preschoolers present at classes, and food support will be provided daily, throughout the duration of the courses, according to the structure of the school year.

The program will continue to provide either a hot meal or - in units where there is no necessary infrastructure, especially in rural areas - a food package that ensures the nutritional needs for a school day. The fundamental objective of the initiative remains unchanged: promoting a healthy lifestyle, reducing school dropout and supporting children's participation in the educational process. Studies cited by the Ministry in justifying the program show that access to regular and balanced meals contributes to increasing the ability to concentrate, improving school performance and reducing differences between children from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Initiated as a pilot project in several hundred educational institutions, "Healthy Meals" has been progressively expanded in recent years, becoming one of the largest social programs in Romanian schools. In 2024 and 2025, the program targeted over 1 million students, according to data presented by the Ministry of Education.