Ministry of Education and Training Proposes Stringent Food Safety Regulations in Schools
The new draft circular from the MOET requires educational institutions to develop food safety incident response plans and ensure transparency in boarding meal procedures.
On October 27, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) officially released a draft circular regulating boarding meals, semi-boarding meals, and canteen services in preschool and general education institutions. The core of this proposal requires schools to develop comprehensive prevention and response plans for food safety incidents.
According to the draft, before each academic year, educational institutions are responsible for creating meal plans based on students' actual needs. Menus must strictly adhere to professional nutrition guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health, be age-appropriate, and be publicly disclosed to parents. Crucially, the selection of catering providers must comply with current regulations on bidding, ensuring service capacity and traceability of food sources.
For schools operating their own kitchens, they must proactively manage personnel, facilities, and bear full responsibility for the supervision of all processes. In cases where external services are contracted, agreements must clearly define the provider's responsibility regarding the three-step food inspection process and sample retention according to existing food safety standards.
The draft also encourages active oversight from parents. Parents are empowered to provide feedback on meal quality and are required to provide timely information regarding their children's health status and food allergies. To reduce administrative burden, the MOET emphasizes utilizing data through shared systems, avoiding redundant paperwork.