Boarding meals

Public opinion has recently been very indignant about the case of a canteen staff at a boarding high school in Mai Son district (Son La) who, out of personal grudge, put pesticides in the students’ food. Fortunately, the incident was discovered early so there were no human casualties.

Following that, a secondary school in Hanoi was involved in another food safety scandal in the school’s lunch. Some parents of the school unexpectedly came to check the menu and were shocked to see that their children’s meals were lacking, with only a small piece of ham, some fried fish, a few bean sprouts and a piece of potato. The amount of food was estimated to be less than 10,000 VND/meal, while the school’s quoted price was 32,000 VND. Witnessing such meals, no parent could be satisfied with the quality of their children’s meals.

Last May, in Hai Duong, the leader of the Chi Linh City Health Department also proposed that the City People's Committee request two private kitchens specializing in providing meals for boarding students to stop operating due to not ensuring food safety regulations.

The recent scandals about students’ lunches have made many parents worried. It is understandable why many schools in Hai Duong immediately tightened management of lunches. Many schools encouraged parents to make surprise kitchen inspections and monitor the school’s food imports. Some meal management software was activated…

School nutrition is very important, including school meals. Most kindergartens, primary schools in Hai Duong and a few secondary and high schools now organize school meals. It may just be a lunch at school but that does not mean it is not important. Just a little carelessness can lead to large-scale food poisoning incidents, affecting hundreds of students.

No parent wants their child to suffer from malnutrition or face the risk of unsafe food. Therefore, to have delicious and safe meals, it requires the dedication and expertise of the school leaders, the food suppliers and the chefs themselves.

How to make children excited about mealtimes at school? Can parents feel secure about their children's nutrition in class? Answering this question, I am reminded of a video about a Japanese elementary school lunch that many parents have shared on social media in recent days. For a long time, the Japanese have been famous for their healthy eating habits. A scientific diet is not only in each family but also originates from school lunches. In Japan, they have an organization that conducts annual research on children's nutrition and eating habits. They use the results to shape what is included in school meals.

During lunch, Japanese students are not only taught how to serve each other and save food, but also learn about the nutrition of each food and the combination of spices. Students also learn how to choose healthy foods and positive eating habits. Perhaps that is why lunch not only helps children eat well and have enough nutrition, but also be excited about the knowledge they can learn.

School meals must be considered part of the educational program. Only then can we hope that children will develop comprehensively and each delicious meal will help children be happier when they go to school.