Four departments including the State Administration of Market Regulation deploy campus food safety……

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) According to the news from the city's Xinyu WeChat official account, recently, the General Office of the General Administration of Market Supervision, together with the General Office of the Ministry of Education, the General Office of the Ministry of Public Security, and the General Office of the National Health Commission, issued the Notice on Practically Strengthening School Food Safety in Autumn 2023 (hereinafter referred to as the Notice) to deploy and strengthen school food safety in autumn.

The Notice requires market supervision and education departments in various regions to urge off campus meal supply units and schools to conduct comprehensive self inspections before the start of school, strengthen the inspection of insect, rat, and fly prevention equipment and facilities, regularly maintain and update them, and block facility loopholes. Improve old equipment and hardware facilities, strengthen the installation and maintenance of rodent prevention nets in areas such as cafeteria ventilation ducts.

The notice points out that market supervision and education departments in various regions should organize comprehensive supervision and inspection of off campus food supply units, key parts of school canteens, key facilities and equipment, and key links. We should combine the special action to address food safety issues in centralized dining units, establish a list of discovered food safety issues and hidden dangers, implement ledger management, and timely rectify within a specified period of time.

The notice emphasizes that education departments in various regions should effectively strengthen their industry management responsibilities, strengthen food safety education and daily management for off campus meal providers and schools, and urge schools to strictly implement the food safety principal (principal) responsibility system and the school's relevant person in charge meal accompanying system. We should work with relevant departments to guide schools to strictly organize bidding in accordance with the bidding procedures, and urge schools to establish and improve mechanisms for off campus centralized meal supply, contracted or entrusted operation access, assessment and evaluation, and exit management.

The Notice clearly states that education departments in various regions, in conjunction with health and market supervision departments, should increase the promotion of food safety and nutritional health knowledge in schools, avoid providing high salt, high oil, and high sugar foods based on age and growth characteristics, and ensure nutritional balance. Advocate for school cafeterias to provide meals according to demand, and prevent food waste by adopting methods such as small portions, half portions, set meals, and buffet meals. (Zhongxin Finance and Economics)