Lack of qualified suppliers

(Baonghean) - Ensuring clean food sources, clean water and following one-way kitchen procedures are important regulations for collective kitchens. In schools, this work is even more important... However, the current concern is that the "input" food source for boarding kitchens in schools is mainly provided by the private sector, so it is difficult to control quality and criteria for ensuring food safety and hygiene...

Due to the lack of facilities, the kitchen of Hong Son Kindergarten (Vinh City) is a temporary room. To ensure food hygiene and safety, the school tries to arrange the kitchen according to the one-way operating process with 3 separate areas: the fresh food processing area, the cooking area and the cooked food storage area. Fully equipped with industrial gas stoves, rice cabinets, food sample storage cabinets... are arranged neatly and conveniently. Every year, kitchen staff comply with regulations on health check-ups and training in food hygiene and safety.

In addition, the school pays special attention to the food selection process according to the "three steps": Checking the source of imported food ingredients, checking food from the preparation process until eating, and checking food samples. The People's Inspection Committee will regularly conduct surprise inspections of the kitchen, including the issue of ingredients, processing procedures, food portions for children, and the quality of the dishes.

Ms. Le Thi Hong Anh, the school's principal, said: For preschool education, child care is one of the main tasks, including ensuring that children are fed adequately and that food hygiene and safety are absolutely guaranteed...

What the school board is concerned about is the origin of food ingredients. Currently, the school has regular contracts with suppliers, but they are all private suppliers. Therefore, in addition to chicken, pork, eggs, rice, etc., quarantine stamps can be used to determine the origin of goods. As for vegetables, fish, eel, etc., it depends on the supplier's commitment, visual inspection, and the experience of the housewife.

Meal time of children at Kim Lien Kindergarten (Nam Dan).

Mr. Ho Van Nam, Head of the Vinh City Health Department, added: Currently, 100% of kitchens in schools in the city have certificates of food hygiene and safety. However, the reality is that although schools have contracts with food suppliers, they are mainly private establishments, without legal status, and without food business registration. Therefore, food safety management is mainly based on the reputation of the supplier.

Mealtime of children at Nguyen Trai Primary School

In the city, the problem of ensuring the correct origin of food in schools in rural and mountainous areas is even more difficult. At Mon Son Secondary School (Con Cuong), over 50 students, in addition to rice, which is provided according to the State's policy, have daily food purchased by the chef at the market, without a fixed food supplier.

Mr. Tran Van Hao - Principal of the school shared: The school also wants to build a proper collective kitchen for students, but due to lack of funds, it has not been able to do so. Furthermore, because the school is not currently recognized as a boarding school, there is no mechanism to pay salaries to the cooking staff. Therefore, it is difficult to recruit trained, skilled, and certified cooking staff...

Hoi Nga Secondary School (Quy Chau), with over 100 boarding students, has built a fairly clean and spacious boarding house. Students have their own place to eat. However, the kitchen area is still being built temporarily, daily food is taken from a food supplier in the commune... Previously, many food poisoning cases at schools were determined to be caused by food. However, the origin of the food could not be determined because there were no storage cabinets and no unit qualified for food hygiene and safety to provide it.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thai, Deputy Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training, said: Currently, schools are getting food from 4 main sources: Signing supply contracts with private units, through local suppliers, buying at the market or some schools can provide clean vegetables themselves. Currently, many schools have inadequate facilities, difficult transportation conditions, so they have not received adequate attention. The conditions for collective kitchens in many places are also not up to standard, such as one-way kitchen procedures, no sample storage cabinets, and cooking staff have not been trained in food safety and hygiene knowledge.

In addition, the issue of clean water is also a concern, currently only 40% of schools have access to tap water, while nearly 30% of schools have substandard clean water facilities. Many schools still have to use river and stream water systems to cook for students.

The Department of Education and Training has issued an official dispatch requesting all schools to proactively develop plans to ensure food safety in schools and effectively implement food safety measures. Control food ingredients and identify and use safe food; absolutely do not use food, food ingredients, food additives of unclear origin, spoiled, moldy, or spoiled food to prepare food in educational institutions. Ensure food safety and hygiene in collective kitchens; provide enough drinking water, clean water to ensure hygiene for children, students, teachers, staff and school employees. Resolutely do not allow organizations and individuals to do business in providing food, processing ready-made food that does not fully comply with food safety regulations to provide food, and does not have a Certificate of qualified food safety facility to provide food or meals to educational institutions.

My Ha