There should be surprise inspections.

From tomorrow, November 1, Thu Duc City (HCMC) will begin a peak month of surprise inspections of facilities providing boarding meals, collective kitchens, canteens, and school food services in Thu Duc City.

Inside a company providing boarding meals randomly inspected by the interdisciplinary inspection team of Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City at the end of October

SUPPLY INSPECTION TEAM

CHECK BOTH MEAL SAFETY AND NUTRITION

According to the content of the "Plan for surprise inspection of compliance with the law on food safety for collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in Thu Duc City for the 2023-2024 school year of the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City" issued yesterday afternoon, October 30, many subjects will be inspected during this time. The interdisciplinary inspection team will surprise all 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 complaints about food safety.

The above surprise inspections will be carried out during the peak month from November 1 to 30. In particular, the interdisciplinary team will conduct surprise inspections without prior notice to the inspected unit. After the above time, it will continue to follow the issued interdisciplinary and specialized inspection plans and advise on additional plans suitable for each period.

The contents of inspection of food service establishments, collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in Thu Duc City include: food processing procedures; business registration certificates; food safety certificate (for establishments that are required to have a food safety certificate); sales contracts, purchase invoices, product declaration/self-declaration records, documents related to raw materials, food, food additives, etc.

Notably, the delegation also checked the nutritional quality of meals, tested the water used in processing; implemented the 3-step food inspection regime and sample storage.

PRINCIPAL EAT BOARDING MEALS TO ASSESS QUALITY

Many units that order meals from companies that provide meals for students have scientific ways to check and monitor the meal suppliers.

Delegation from Nguyen Truong To Primary School, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City and representatives of parents inspect the unit providing boarding meals.

SCHOOL PROVIDERS

For example, at Nguyen Truong To Primary School, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Phan Anh Tuan, the school's principal, said that the school's inspection team, including school representatives, medical staff, and parents' representatives, periodically and suddenly inspect the food supply company. When it is sudden, the team will call and then arrive at the company 30 minutes later to inspect. The team pays special attention to the origin of the food, receipts, documents, etc. "After the inspection at the company, the parents' representatives also return to the school to try the food provided to the children. Parents randomly pick a tray of food brought in to evaluate the quality," said Mr. Tuan.

At the same time, according to Mr. Tuan, every day at 10 o'clock, the principal or vice principal in charge of boarding will taste the food before the students eat and give comments. Medical staff will perform a 3-step test and save the sample.

At Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, every year, in addition to regular inspections of the food supplier, the school board and parents' representatives also conduct surprise inspections. Every day, there are always two people at the school who eat the students' lunch. One is the medical staff, who must eat 30 minutes before the students to check if the meal is safe and hygienic, and what the color and smell are like. Then there is the principal, who eats after the students have finished eating to evaluate the quality of the meal.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF MEALS FOR STUDENTS

Speaking with Thanh Nien reporter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City, said that as of October 30, 6 schools in Thu Duc City have temporarily stopped organizing boarding meals until a new food supplier is found.

Parents eat lunch with their children during the "Open house" at Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School, District 1 (HCMC), a way for parents to monitor school meals.

Ms. Hien said that the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City is working with schools and representatives of parents to study the records and evaluate the actual capacity of meal supply companies to find reputable partners, ensuring the provision of safe meals for students, so that students can study with peace of mind and parents can work with peace of mind.

At the same time, Ms. Hien said that the Department of Education and Training will also regularly collect information, take notes, and improve the quality of students' meals. The Department will work with the interdisciplinary inspection team to strengthen supervision and inspection of all companies providing meals for boarding students, kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools. The Department of Education and Training has sent an official dispatch to all schools, companies providing meals, canteens, etc. so that units comply with the law and enhance their responsibility in providing food and meals to schools in the area.

More "Open houses"

Over the past two weeks, many schools in Ho Chi Minh City such as Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School, District 1; Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School, District 1... have held "Open house" days, some schools even organized "Open house" weeks. The school wrote letters inviting parents, opened the school doors to welcome parents to attend their children's classes and visit the kitchen (the school has an on-site kitchen), observed the process of receiving rice from the catering company (if the school orders meals from the catering company), observed how meal times are organized and tried the school's boarding rice with their children... This method has been highly appreciated by many parents for the school's transparency, and they hope to replicate this model in more schools.

Mr. Vo Manh Hien, parent of a first grader at Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School, District 1, said: "When the school invites parents to come to school with their children and eat with their children, it shows that the school is very concerned about the thoughts and opinions of parents, because recently many people have been worried about the school's lunch. When the school proactively invites parents, it also affirms that the school is responsible, very public, clear, and transparent in organizing meals andeducational activities at school for parents, this makes everyone feel secure."

Rectifying food safety in schools

Yesterday afternoon, October 30, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City (HCMC) issued an official dispatch to rectify food safety in schools, requesting the Department of Education and Training and related sectors to urgently implement it, in order to enhance the health of students, in response to the press's reflection of parents' concerns about their children's school meals.

Thu Duc City People's Committee requested the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City to urgently direct schools with collective kitchens and canteens to proactively and regularly self-inspect food safety work at schools and perform food safety work well. Direct schools under management to coordinate well with food safety inspection teams and strictly follow the instructions of the inspection teams. At the same time, the Department of Education and Training must report the results of ensuring food safety at schools in the area to the Standing Committee of Thu Duc City People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training according to regulations.

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