Four more schools in Thu Duc City stop providing meals on board

Ho Chi Minh City: Four schools in Thu Duc City have temporarily suspended school lunch services after parents at Phu Huu Primary School discovered spoiled chicken meat at the food supplier.

On the morning of October 28th, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of Thu Duc City, announced that four schools would cease providing school lunch services from October 30th: Truong Thanh Primary School, Truong Thanh Secondary School, Phuoc Thanh Primary School, and Long Thanh My Primary School. All four schools previously used industrial meal services supplied by a company located in Long Thanh My Ward, Thu Duc City.

According to Ms. Hien, before deciding to temporarily suspend school lunch services, schools consulted with parents. While searching for a new meal provider, parents can pick up their children at lunchtime or allow students to bring their own lunch to school. It is estimated that approximately 4,000 students will be affected.

Spoiled and rotten chicken meat was discovered by parents in the freezer of the food provider on the morning of October 25th. (Photo: Provided by parents) — Spoiled and rotten chicken meat was discovered by parents in the freezer of the food provider on the morning of October 25th. (Photo: *Provided by parents)*

This action stems from the discovery by parents of students at Phu Huu Primary School on October 25th of spoiled, blackened chicken meat and bones in the freezer of the aforementioned food supplier. In the condiment and dry goods area, several unsealed containers of chili sauce were also found, emitting a foul odor and with no clear expiration date.

The catering company explained that the chicken meat and bones were waste products from the processing stage and were not used for cooking for the students. However, parents argued that mixing spoiled chicken meat and bones with other food items was unacceptable and compromised food safety and hygiene.

Phu Huu Primary School and parents have met and agreed to terminate the meal supply contract with this unit, temporarily suspending the school lunch program from October 26th until another partner is found.

Since the beginning of the school year, the quality of school lunches for students has been a concern for parents. In Ho Chi Minh City, parents of students at Phuoc Long B Kindergarten (Thu Duc City) complained about the high cost of food purchased by the school and expressed worries about their children's meals. Meanwhile, in Hanoi , Yen Nghia Secondary School was accused of providing meager lunch meals, and many students at Thanh Cong B Primary School contracted intestinal infections after eating their school lunch.

Currently, the organization of school canteens is carried out according to regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health , and local departments and agencies. Depending on their conditions, schools can either organize their own kitchens or hire external meal providers to deliver meals.

Specifically, the school canteen area must be arranged according to a one-way flow principle, with three separate areas: food receiving, food preparation, and food processing, with cooked food separated. Food and ingredients must have food safety and hygiene certificates and be checked for quality, freshness, and temperature. Cooked food samples must be stored in the canteen for 24 hours to aid in tracing the cause of any incidents.

If outsourcing, contracted units must possess food safety certification to provide meals for students. Food transportation and sample retention are controlled similarly to in-house cooking.

Le Nguyen

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