Starting tomorrow, November 1st, Thu Duc City (Ho Chi Minh City) will begin a month-long campaign of surprise inspections of school meal providers, collective kitchens, canteens, and school food services within the city.
Inside a company providing school lunch services, which was randomly inspected by a joint inter-agency inspection team from Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, at the end of October.
INSPECTION TEAM
CHECKING BOTH THE SAFETY AND NUTRITION OF MEALS
According to the "Plan for surprise inspections of compliance with food safety laws for collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in Thu Duc City for the 2023-2024 school year" issued yesterday afternoon, October 30th, by the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, many entities will be inspected during this period. The inter-agency inspection team will conduct surprise inspections of all collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in Thu Duc City; establishments providing meals to schools; establishments producing, processing, and trading raw materials, additives, and packaging used in food processing at collective kitchens in the area; establishments that do not ensure food safety as reported in the media; and establishments with complaints or grievances regarding food safety.
These unannounced inspections were conducted during the peak month from November 1st to 30th. Specifically, the inter-agency team conducted unannounced inspections of the inspected units. After this period, inspections will continue according to the previously issued inter-agency and specialized inspection plans, and additional plans will be proposed to suit the specific circumstances.
The inspection of food service establishments, collective kitchens, canteens, and school food services in Thu Duc City includes: food processing procedures; business registration certificate; food safety certificate (for establishments required to have one); sales contracts, purchase invoices, product declaration/self-declaration documents, and documents related to raw materials, food, and food additives…
Notably, the team also inspected the nutritional quality of the meals, tested the water used in processing, examined the records of the three-step food inspection process, and checked the sample retention procedures.
PRINCIPAL EATS SCHOOL MEAL TO EVALUATE QUALITY
Many schools that order school meals from catering companies have scientific methods for inspecting and monitoring the meal providers.
A delegation from Nguyen Truong To Primary School, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, along with the parent-teacher association, inspected the school lunch provider.
SCHOOL PROVIDES
At Nguyen Truong To Primary School in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Principal Phan Anh Tuan stated that the school's inspection team, comprising school representatives, medical staff, and parent representatives, conducts regular and surprise inspections of the meal provider. For surprise inspections, the team will call the company and arrive 30 minutes later to conduct the check. The team pays particular attention to the origin and source of the food, receipts, and other relevant documents. "After the inspection at the company, parent representatives return to the school to sample the meals provided to the children. Parents randomly select a tray of food to assess its quality," Mr. Tuan explained.
At the same time, according to Mr. Tuan, every day at 10 a.m., the principal or vice-principal in charge of the boarding program will taste the food before the students eat it and give their feedback. Medical staff conduct a three-step inspection and collect samples.
At Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to regular inspections of the meal provider, the school's management board and parent representatives conduct surprise inspections every year. Each day, two people eat the school's lunch. One is a medical staff member who eats 30 minutes before the students to check if the meal meets food safety and hygiene standards, including its color and smell. The other is the principal, who eats after the students have finished to assess the quality of the meal.
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF MEALS FOR STUDENTS
Speaking to a reporter from Thanh Nien newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of Thu Duc City, said that as of October 30th, six schools in Thu Duc City had temporarily suspended providing school lunches until they found a new meal provider.
Parents eat lunch with their children during an "Open House" event at Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School, District 1 (Ho Chi Minh City), a way for parents to monitor school meals.
Ms. Hien stated that the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City is working alongside schools and parent representatives to review profiles and assess the actual capabilities of meal providers in order to find reputable partners that ensure the provision of safe meals for students, allowing students to focus on their studies and parents to work with peace of mind.
At the same time, Ms. Hien stated that the Department of Education and Training will regularly monitor information, take note of issues, and improve the quality of meals for students. The Department will work with inter-agency inspection teams to strengthen supervision and inspection of all companies providing school lunch services, kitchens, canteens, and catering services in schools. The Department of Education and Training has sent official letters to all schools, companies providing meals, canteens, etc., urging them to comply with the law and enhance their responsibility in providing food and meals to schools in the area.
Add more "Open houses"
Over the past two weeks, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City, such as Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School in District 1 and Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School in District 1, have held "Open House" events, with some even organizing an "Open House" week. The schools send invitation letters to parents, open their doors to welcome parents to participate in their children's lessons and visit the kitchen (if the school has an on-site kitchen), observe the process of receiving meals from the catering company (if the school orders meals from a food supplier), observe how mealtimes are organized, and sample the school's lunch program with their children. This approach has been highly praised by many parents for its transparency and they hope this model will be replicated in more schools.
Mr. Vo Manh Hien, a parent of a first-grade student at Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School, District 1, said: "When the school invites parents to come to school with their children to study and eat with them, it shows that the school cares deeply about parents' thoughts and opinions, as many people have been worried about the school's lunch program recently. The school's proactive invitation to parents also affirms its responsibility and its openness, clarity, and transparency in organizing meals and educational activities at the school, which reassures everyone."
Improving food safety in schools.
Yesterday afternoon, October 30th, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City (Ho Chi Minh City) issued a document to rectify food safety in schools, requesting the Department of Education and Training and relevant agencies to urgently implement measures to enhance the health of students, in response to media reports reflecting parents' concerns about their children's school lunch programs.
The People's Committee of Thu Duc City requests the Thu Duc City Department of Education and Training to urgently direct schools with collective kitchens and canteens to proactively and regularly self-inspect food safety practices and ensure food safety. Schools under its management should cooperate well with food safety inspection teams and strictly follow their instructions. At the same time, the Department of Education and Training must report the results of food safety assurance in schools within its jurisdiction to the Standing Committee of the Thu Duc City People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training as required.
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