School Meals and Special Diets

In the basic education in Vaasa, students are served meals according to a special diet if there are clear health-related or ethical reasons for it.

• Please ensure that the school’s catering service is informed of any special dietary needs before the start of the school year, and by 30 April 2025 at the latest.

The Food services prepares special diet meals so that the student does not receive any unsuitable food ingredients. The meal plan for a student following a special diet is designed to resemble the meal plan of other students as closely as possible.

How are special diets reported?

Special diets can be reported using the form Notification of special dietary needs 

The form should be submitted to the school office in two copies. The school will deliver the second copy to the Food Services staff in the school kitchen.

Medical certificates (a doctor’s certificate) must be submitted to the school nurse upon request.

Notify the school kitchen if the student is absent

If a student who requires a special diet is absent from school, the school kitchen should be notified to prevent the unnecessary preparation of special diet meals.

If special diet meals have not been consumed for two weeks without a valid reason, it will be considered unnecessary to prepare these meals. Any changes to the special diet should be communicated to the school kitchen and the school. If any issues arise in implementing the special diet, the guardian is kindly encouraged to contact the school kitchen.

Diabetes

The student will be provided with the same meals as other students. If required, the guardian must provide the school principal with the personal meal plan of the student with diabetes.

The principal will convey the information to the kitchen staff. Diabetes diet requires a medical certificate.

Celiac Disease

Wheat, barley, and rye are replaced with gluten-free grains and gluten-free products with an analyzed gluten content of less than 20 mg/kg. Gluten-free diet requires a medical certificate.

With parental consent, the student may be offered school meals that include foods containing gluten-free oats or gluten-free wheat starch.

Allergies

Severe allergic symptom or key food item:

Milk, eggs, wheat, fish, and nuts are the most common causes of severe allergic reactions. Nutritionally essential food items are replaced with other ingredients that the student is able to tolerate. The diet is based on a diagnosis made by, and a medical certificate provided by, a doctor.

A medical certificate is required for all foods that cause severe symptoms, even if they are not substituted with other food items. If a student’s diet is particularly restricted, an individual meal plan must also be attached to the notification.

Mild, transient symptoms:

If the student experiences mild symptoms during a school meal, the food item causing them will be set aside. In such cases, the student does not require a special diet or a medical certificate. It is important for students to learn to eat a varied diet. The more food items are avoided in the diet, the more challenging it becomes to create a nutritionally balanced meal plan.

In accordance with the National Allergy Programme, foods that cause mild symptoms (such as transient itching or tingling in the mouth, or redness of the skin) should not be avoided but gradually introduced and desensitized. Therefore, no avoidance certificate is issued for foods that cause mild allergies. No foods are avoided as a precaution.

Lactose Intolerance

Dairy products containing lactose are replaced with low-lactose or lactose-free alternatives.

A notification from the parents is sufficient for the child to receive a low-lactose diet.

A completely lactose-free diet requires a medical certificate..

Diet followed for religious reasons

In the case of a diet followed for religious reasons, pork, beef, or blood products are generally replaced with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet. A medical certificate is not required.

Vegetarian diet