As of October 28, 5 primary and secondary schools in Thu Duc City that were provided meals by the above company have stopped organizing meals for boarding students until they find a new partner.
PARENTS ARE THE DISCOVERERS
The person who discovered and recorded the video clips and took pictures of spoiled food stored together in the freezer was a parent of Phu Huu Primary School, Thu Duc City. This parent was present in the inspection team of Phu Huu Primary School to periodically inspect the company providing meals for boarding students on October 25, 2023. This person also invited the school's board of directors to witness.
Students of Phu Huu Primary School, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City have temporarily stopped eating at boarding schools since October 26. Many students live far away, so their parents buy lunch boxes and ask the nanny to feed them, waiting until the afternoon to continue studying.
This further shows the important role of checking and supervising boarding meals, the company providing boarding meals, and the participation of parents.
Speaking to the press, Mr. Phan Thanh Phai, Principal of Phu Huu Primary School, said that the school has been using boarding meals provided by a company in Long Thanh My Ward, Thu Duc City for many years. Every year, the school conducts a number of regular and surprise inspections of the meal supplier. The inspection team always includes parent representatives.
Mr. Phai said that on October 26, the school stopped providing meals for boarding students with meals provided by the above company. The school said that parents have proposed to introduce new meal providers, so that this week, the functional units of Thu Duc City, together with the school and parents, will check the capacity of that unit to see if it is adequate before signing a contract to continue providing meals for students. At the same time, regardless of which unit is signed, the school and parents will continue to strengthen inspection and supervision of meal providers to ensure safety for students.
PARENTAL SUPERVISION OF BOARDING MEALS IS NECESSARY
Being able to participate in checking and supervising the meals of children studying at school is a legitimate need of parents.
Mr. HG, a parent of a 3rd grader at Phuoc Thanh Primary School, Thu Duc City (one of the 5 schools that are temporarily suspending the provision of meals for students until a new meal provider is found), said that monitoring meals for students, especially preschool and primary school students, is extremely important because they are at a tender age and largely dependent on their parents and schools. Therefore, parents, schools, and local authorities need to pay close attention to and monitor meals for students, also to protect their health and interests.
Mr. HG said that parents like him want the supervision of their children's meals at school to be carried out periodically by the school in coordination with the parents' association every week at the school and every month at the food service provider. Every month, parents' representatives can come to supervise the food processing facility 1 to 2 times. When a school signs a contract with a food service provider, there should be a clause stipulating how the school and the parents' association will inspect and supervise the food processing process...
"Monitoring meals at school and at the facility providing meals for students partly helps improve the quality of meals. In addition, it also ensures the origin of the products - which is extremely important. The unit providing meals needs to ensure the origin of the goods, and needs to provide the inspection team with invoices and documents of purchase and sale of goods at reputable establishments," said Mr. HG.
Parents participate in observing their children's school meals and try the meals with their children.
PARENTS WANT TO COME SUDDENLY DURING STUDENTS' MEAL TIMES
Mr. TH, a parent of a 7th grade student at L.D.C Secondary School, Thu Duc City, said that he and many other parents hope to come by during their children's mealtimes to see what their children eat at school, the quantity and quality, and to try the food.
"Many parents are concerned that it is not objective to check their children's meal times by notifying them a few days or a day in advance. Therefore, I hope the school can be transparent about the quality of the boarding meals. For example, if 10:30 is the students' lunch time, then at 10:00 that day, the parents' representative committee can come to the school gate, call the school and come in to observe and try the children's lunch to know and feel secure," said Mr. TH.
Mr. TH also said that his eldest child graduated from Tran Quoc Toan 1 Secondary School, Thu Duc City. His impression of this school is that the boarding meals are delicious. "That day, I went to pick up my child, when I got to school, I knew my child was in the cafeteria. Even though I came unexpectedly, the teachers happily showed me to the cafeteria. When I got there, I saw that the students' meals were very full, with rice, meat, vegetables, and fruits. The school's way of doing things like this makes parents feel very secure about their children's boarding meals," said Mr. TH.
SUPERVISION OF BOARDING MEALS MUST BE REASONABLE
Speaking to Thanh Nien reporter, lawyer Nguyen Tien Hieu, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, said that parents who register their children for boarding school are entrusting their children to the school for management. The school must be responsible for ensuring the safety of students. This includes the responsibility for checking the quality of boarding meals and ensuring the meals are safe.
Parents eat lunch with their children during the "Open house" activity, a way to monitor school meals.
"Supervision of boarding meals must be substantial. Medical staff must supervise together. For companies that order boarding meals from catering units, to ensure food safety and quality, I think each school can send school medical staff to the food supply facility to check food hygiene and safety, check samples, take photos of the processing area...", said lawyer Hieu. In addition, according to lawyer Hieu, if boarding meal suppliers make mistakes and violate the law in the field of food safety, they need to be considered for strict handling according to the law to set an example for other catering facilities.
Checking kitchens and school meal providers in Thu Duc City
Thu Duc City People's Committee has issued Official Dispatch No. 555 signed by Vice Chairman of Thu Duc City People's Committee Nguyen Ky Phung on the plan to inspect compliance with the law in the field of food safety for collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in Thu Duc City. The inspection will take place throughout the 2023-2024 school year.
The subjects of inspection are: Collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in Thu Duc City; establishments providing meals in schools; establishments producing, processing, and trading raw materials, additives, packaging, etc. used in the food processing process in collective kitchens in the area; establishments that do not ensure food safety as posted on the mass media today; establishments with complaints and feedback about food safety, etc.
During the inspection, the inspection team will review the business registration certificate; food safety certificate (for establishments that are required to have a food safety certificate); test the water used in processing; check the sales contract, purchase invoices, product declaration/self-declaration records, documents related to raw materials, food, food additives; sample storage; 3-step food inspection implementation book; legal documents and other contents as required by the members participating in the inspection team...
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