Quail eggs stink in elementary school kitchen: Many parents let their children stay home from school

On the morning of October 20, many parents with children studying at Cu Khe Primary School (Binh Minh Commune, Hanoi) let their children stay home from school or had to temporarily make do after discovering unsafe food in the school's canteen.

Image of a classroom at Cu Khe Primary School on the morning of October 20 after a food safety incident at the boarding kitchen - Photo: Provided by parents

Quail eggs smell and leak

The incident began on the morning of October 15, when representatives of the parents' committee of Cu Khe Primary School, Binh Minh Commune, Hanoi suddenly inspected the kitchen where Nhat Anh Import Export Trading and Service Company Limited provided food.

At the time of inspection, parents discovered that the meat smelled rancid and a series of large bags of pre-boiled quail eggs smelled foul and were leaking. The food was not refrigerated and was transported in a non-specialized truck. These images quickly spread on social media, causing anxiety and anger in the community.

Immediately after the inspection, the monitoring team requested to replace quail eggs with chicken eggs to cook for students, and at the same time made a record with the witness of relevant parties.

On October 16, the interdisciplinary team of Binh Minh commune and the Hanoi Food Safety and Hygiene Department conducted a surprise inspection and noted a series of problems such as unsanitary processing areas, risk of cross-contamination, smelly drainage, flies, lack of food sharing tables, and no 3-step food inspection book.

After the incident, Cu Khe Primary School terminated its contract with Nhat Anh Company as of October 17. Ms. Nguyen Thi Nam, the school principal, sent a letter of apology to all parents and proposed two temporary solutions: Parents prepare their own lunch for their children to bring to school or parents pick up their children to have lunch, rest at home and then bring them back to school in the afternoon.

However, according to many parents, both options cause a lot of inconvenience, especially for families who work all day. Therefore, many families have been forced to let their children stay home from school.

Image of smelly, runny quail eggs recorded by parents on October 15 - Photo: Screenshot

Disruption because school stops boarding kitchen

Present at the school on the afternoon of October 20, Mr. D.VT, a parent of two children studying at the school, said that since the school temporarily stopped providing lunch after discovering spoiled meat and rotten eggs, his family had to ask his grandmother from her hometown more than 100km from Hanoi to help pick up and drop off the children.

"Previously, the children ate and took a nap at school, and their parents only had to pick them up in the late afternoon. Now, there are four pick-up and drop-off trips a day, making the whole family very tired. If this situation continues without help, my wife and I will have to temporarily let our children stop going to school," Mr. T. shared.

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online , another parent said that she had to write a leave application for her two children because she could not arrange for someone to pick them up. "In my child's class alone, more than 20 students were absent today. The first graders were absent the most because the children are still young and cannot take care of their own meals like older students," this parent shared.

The school does not arrange meals for boarding, many parents who cannot afford to pick up and drop off their children have let their children stay home - Photo: Provided by parents

As for Ms. H., she could not pick up her child at noon. Her family planned to cook rice for her child to bring to school, but they were worried about the risk of food safety when having to bring rice from morning.

"Rice left from morning to noon in unpredictable weather conditions can easily change, affecting the children's health. Both options the school proposed can only last a few days, not for long," said Ms. H.

Parents said that after 5 days, the school still has not had a specific announcement about when to restore boarding meals.

"We don't just need an apology. We need a public meeting, transparency in the responsibilities of the kitchen and the school, as well as a specific plan to fix the problem. Boarding meals not only help parents feel secure at work but also ensure the rights and health of students," said one parent.

In addition, many parents also wondered how the city's support of 20,000 VND/meal for boarding students during the kitchen interruption period would be handled.

At noon on October 20, many parents were present at the school to pick up their children to go home for lunch, rest and return to school at 1:30 pm - Photo: LINH HAN

The city directed to strictly handle violations.

Regarding the above incident, Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha assigned the Office of the People's Committee to sign an official dispatch requesting the People's Committee of Binh Minh commune to preside over and coordinate with relevant units to inspect and clarify the information about smelly meat and quail eggs being smuggled into schools. At the same time, strictly handle violations (if any), and respond to the press according to regulations.

Up to now, parents of Cu Khe Primary School are still waiting for a specific plan from the school to soon stabilize meals for boarding students.

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LINH HAN - PHAM TUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-cut-boc-mui-tai-bep-an-truong-tieu-hoc-nhieu-phu-parents-cho-con-nghi-hoc-2025102015015725.htm