School Meals
Under Article 12 of Law 4455/2017 (Government Gazette 22/A), as amended by Article 77 of Law 4756/2020 (Government Gazette 235/A) and Presidential Decree 77/2023 (Government Gazette 130/A), the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs prepares, coordinates and oversees the “School Meals” Programme.
OPEKA is responsible for implementing the Programme on behalf of the Ministry.
School meals, a programme in place in most European countries, help strengthen solidarity and a sense of community among pupils while also improving educational outcomes. The Programme also benefits the development of domestic primary production: the food products selected in cooperation with scientific bodies are locally produced and have high nutritional value. In this way, the Programme promotes a healthy Mediterranean diet among pupils and creates more jobs in local communities.
For the current 2025–2026 school year, the Programme provides, according to its budget, 231,062 hot meals per day to primary school pupils. It is implemented nationwide in 1,918 schools by contractors selected through an open public electronic tender.
Joint Ministerial Decision No. 14457/08.10.2025 (Government Gazette 5381/B) lists the schools throughout Greece participating in the 2025–2026 School Meals Programme. The relevant decision is available at the link below.
