School canteens: Many concerns!

(Baonghean) - In the new school year, in addition to taking care of facilities and teaching staff, ensuring food hygiene and safety in schools is also a very important issue. To do well, schools must have close preparation in terms of facilities, equipment, human resources and awareness of food processors...

For example, the largest mass poisoning incident occurred at the Boarding Ethnic Secondary School - Huoi Tu Commune Secondary School (Ky Son) at the end of December 2013: After finishing dinner with a menu including rice, pumpkin soup, braised pork, at about 20:30, dozens of students simultaneously showed symptoms such as: vomiting, stomachache...; 13 students had to be taken to the commune health station for treatment. Fortunately, no one died, but at the same time, nearly 100 students were poisoned, making teachers and parents extremely worried. Although the incident was quite serious, with many people poisoned, the inspection by the Food Safety and Hygiene Department could not determine the cause, because even though it was a collective kitchen, cooking for more than 300 boarding students every day, the kitchen did not have a food sample storage cabinet. Only knowing that the food to prepare for the students in that meal was bought in the morning at Huoi Tu market, the meat was left from noon to afternoon without any refrigerator.

In fact, this is also the common situation of many collective kitchens in boarding schools in mountainous districts. Because in these areas, the physical facilities are limited, the electricity is weak, many places still have to use electricity from mini generators, so there is not enough energy to use for food preservation equipment according to regulations. In addition, the food source used for cooking for schools is often used through familiar relationships, or bought at the market in a small retail style. Therefore, it is difficult to have a contract for supplying raw materials according to regulations. For example, at Yen Na Primary School, Na Khom school, the kitchen is just a small thatched hut, from the kitchen area to the students' dining area is still very rudimentary. To prepare meals for students, parents bring rice to their children every day, and teachers at school help parents cook food. The kitchen at Dinh Tai village, Xieng My Primary School, is just a few temporary wooden boards. Food and vegetables are mostly donated by parents...

In Vinh City, this school year, the whole sector has about 80 public and non-public kindergartens and primary schools with collective kitchens serving nearly 32,000 students. Ensuring food hygiene and safety in these collective kitchens depends on many factors such as auxiliary works, food, equipment and awareness of the processors... However, the most worrying thing is that the input food source, especially the fresh food group, has not received due attention. This is one of the risks leading to unsafe food hygiene and safety in collective kitchens in schools. In fact, at a recent inspection, Mr. Phan Xuan Hung - Head of the Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, Vinh City Medical Center, said: Inspecting collective kitchens in schools, most schools achieved over 90% of the required score.

However, there are some cases where the sales contracts are still written in general terms, without specifying the nature of the food... The fact that schools have complete contracts with suppliers only ensures theoretical input. In reality, when schools go to the market to buy, ensuring compliance with the regulations as initially committed is another issue and few agencies are responsible for regular inspection and supervision. The supply source is unstable, while the food supplied to the collective kitchen is always in large quantities, must be collected from many different sources, so it often does not ensure food hygiene and safety; food is mainly transported by motorbike, so it is easily contaminated during travel. In addition, in many schools, there are still cramped processing areas, a lack of wastewater drainage systems and unreasonable arrangements, so the risk of food safety is high.

For example, at Nghi Duc Kindergarten, although the school has been granted a certificate of food hygiene and safety and has a one-way kitchen, the cooking and cleaning areas are still cramped and damp. There is no tap water source, so the school has to use a machine filtration system; food is purchased from local people. Ms. Pham Thi Lien, the school's principal, admitted: The supply is only a commitment between the supplier and the school. The school has also planned to expand the kitchen area to 1,200 square meters as planned, but there are still many difficulties in investment, so the facilities in the kitchen area have not met the requirements.

Cleaning area at Nghi Duc Kindergarten (Vinh City).

Supervision of school kitchens is also an important issue that the Food Safety and Hygiene Department has been concerned about for many years. However, due to the large area and the many schools located in difficult areas, it is extremely difficult to require all school kitchens to fully meet the prescribed conditions, especially the criteria on location, environment, equipment, food containers, raw material supply contracts, sample cabinets, and food records in accordance with regulations. In addition, it is necessary to have a water source that meets the requirements, a waste treatment system, and training in food hygiene and safety knowledge and health check-ups for people involved in the production, processing, and trading of food.

Mr. Dinh Van Linh, Head of the Department of Information, Communication and Food Management - Department of Food Safety and Hygiene - Nghe An Department of Health, said: A recent survey of 576 collective kitchens at schools showed that more than 200 kitchens have not been granted a certificate of food safety and hygiene. In many kitchens, sample storage has not been properly implemented according to regulations, some kitchens have not been equipped with sample storage cabinets or sample storage logbooks. Many places, especially mountainous districts such as Ky Son and Que Phong, still do not have contracts to supply raw materials. The main reason is due to difficulties in facilities and equipment. In some places, due to limited funding, a meal for children is only about 10,000 VND, making it difficult to choose products. Food safety assurance work also faces obstacles because most of the nutrition teachers in some schools are newly recruited, or have only received basic training in food processing techniques, and are on temporary contracts, so it is difficult for them to concentrate on their work. Some parents' awareness of maintaining nutritional hygiene and taking care of children's health is still limited.

To ensure food hygiene and safety in collective kitchens, especially collective kitchens in schools, the Nghe An Department of Food Safety and Hygiene has issued a document requesting the health departments and health centers of districts, towns and cities in the province to strengthen the management of collective kitchens in schools. In particular, it is necessary to focus on implementing solutions such as: promoting propaganda on food safety; disseminating legal documents on food safety; organizing training on food safety knowledge and measures to prevent food poisoning in schools. Coordinate with the Department of Education and Training to strictly implement Directive No. 12/2012/CT-UBND of the People's Committee of Nghe An province on strengthening measures to ensure food hygiene and safety in collective kitchens of schools and establishments providing ready-to-eat meals. Strengthen inspection and supervision of collective kitchens; resolutely and strictly handle violations of food safety. Investigate the cause and handle promptly when food poisoning occurs; promptly organize treatment for food poisoning patients.

In addition, it is also necessary to raise awareness of each individual, from the head of the school, the principal, the person directly preparing food in the collective kitchen, the students and parents.

Song Hoang - Tu Thanh