So that school meals are no longer a worry

What should be done so that school meals are no longer a concern for parents, and that there are no more cases of students being poisoned en masse, or even some students dying? This difficult "problem" needs a solution...

Parents just want their children to be safe.

Having 3 children studying at all 3 levels in Hanoi, Ms. Hoang Hong said: "My children have all gone through public and private schools. In the past, I sent my eldest son to a public school without boarding. After finishing school at noon, he would go home to eat lunch and take a nap. After that, he transferred to a private school. Although the food here is delicious, I think it is not good for your health if you eat it for a long time."

Ms. Hong further explained: "The children's lunch at school has a lot of fried foods. The afternoon snacks are mostly packaged cakes. These are all unhealthy foods. Not only my children's school but most schools have menus like this. Therefore, not only is there a problem with food hygiene and safety, I am also worried about the nutrition of the meals but I don't know what to do."

Ms. Duong Nhung, whose 5-year-old child is studying at a kindergarten in Hanoi, shared: "My child loves eating at school and always comes home to tell me about his favorite dishes such as green bean porridge, cabbage soup, sticky rice with gac fruit... I observed that the kitchen was clean and tidy. I am very happy because my child eats on time, is disciplined, obedient, and self-disciplined when going to school. After going to school, my child has gained weight, is taller, and is agile."

However, Ms. Nhung also hopes that the school needs to diversify its food such as shrimp, fish, etc. to limit meat dishes because there are many meals during the week that are minced meat. More specifically, pre-processed dishes such as ham and sausage, if bought pre-made, are not good for health, so they should be removed from the menu.

Lunch at a school. Photo: Provided by parents

In addition, Ms. Nhung is also worried about what kind of milk her child drinks in class and what the standards are. Ms. Nhung hopes that in addition to delicious, clean food, her child will drink fresh milk from a reputable brand so that her parents can go to work with peace of mind.

In fact, school milk is a solution to ensure nutrition for preschool and primary school children - the recommendations of the National School Milk Program are to use fresh, canned milk in quantitative quantities, along with nutritious meals full of natural micronutrients, which is optimal for children.

Parental supervision: Ineffective due to lack of standards for comparison

Reading information about substandard school meals and food poisoning cases, Ms. Le Lan Huong, a parent with children in grades 5 and 7 in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi, is extremely worried.

"Although there has been no food poisoning incident at my child's school or any discovery of substandard meals, we are all very confused and scared. At home, I have to go to reputable supermarkets to buy food or have it sent from my hometown, but the meals at school cannot be 100% standard. We can only trust the school and the meal provider," she said.

Leaders of Ha Dong district, Hanoi inspect boarding meals at a school. Photo: Tao Nga

A parent in the school's Parents' Association said: "Currently, no parent at the school supervises their children's meals. Previously, the parents' association divided themselves to check 3 or 4 times a week. After a while, no unusual problems were discovered, so everyone agreed that it was not necessary to check every day. Moreover, everyone is busy with their own work, so even though they divided themselves to supervise each stage, they cannot do it regularly and there is no basis for standards to supervise. Therefore, we can only trust the school and the meal supplier."

Talking about the current boarding meals, the principal of a secondary school in Cau Giay district, Hanoi said that although the kitchen organization stages have been closed, in order to create peace of mind and trust for parents, schools must never be subjective or negligent in organizing boarding meals. The daily inspection of raw materials and food must be carried out strictly, with full supervision of all components. The school board continuously checks and reminds the kitchen staff not only to improve their responsibility but also to devote love and dedication to preparing each meal, only then will there be no incidents, even the smallest ones.

Dr. Tran Ngoc Tu, former Head of the Hanoi Food Safety Department, said that it is very necessary to have parents participate in supervision at schools. Schools should promote the role of regular and unscheduled supervision by the parent representative committee in coordinating the organization of boarding meals, monitoring the origin of food ingredients of suppliers, and the process of dividing and quantifying meals.

However, it is worth mentioning that in many places, both teachers and parents do not have the expertise or tools to monitor food and meals. All monitoring is done by the naked eye, parents can observe whether the food is fresh or not, whether it is crushed, spoiled, discolored, has a strange taste or has expired. In addition to checking the hygiene of the utensils and dishes used in food preparation and storage, parents can check the documents to know whether the supplier has imported the ingredients and food according to the contract or not. Menu and nutrition issues are beyond control.

Dr. Tran Ngoc Tu noted that schools should strictly follow the regulations on storing food samples and 3-step food inspection books. This will help trace the origin of food when needed. In addition, any product that the parents or school have doubts about the quality of can be kept, the Hanoi Food Safety Department will support testing. Schools need to strictly implement contracts with strict agreements with units providing boarding meals and units providing safe food and vegetables.

According to experts, although parental supervision of meals is very important, in the end, supervision is still only at the emotional level. To ensure effective supervision, there must be standards, norms and, more importantly, legal regulations on school nutrition.

Source: https://danviet.vn/bai-3-de-bua-an-tai-truong-khong-con-la-noi-lo-lang-20250106144055094.htm