The Ministry of Education (MOE) held a national conference in Hangzhou on Feb. 25 to strengthen food safety and meal expense management in primary and secondary schools. Vice Minister of Education Wang Jiayi attended the conference and delivered a speech.
It was noted that since the launch of the School Meal Enhancement Action (SMEA) program in May 2024, a total of 10.3 billion yuan has been invested in improving school canteens across the country and targeted training activities have also been organized, benefitting 4.33 million school canteen managers and workers. These measures have achieved remarkable results: 98.5% of school canteens have adopted the “Internet+ Open Kitchen” monitoring system; the operation and management of school canteens has significantly improved; and the quality of school meals has been raised across the country.
The conference specified five major tasks for enhancing SMEA implementation in 2025:
First, school principals should be held accountable for ensuring food safety on campus. More specifically, they should inspect school canteens and hold onsite meetings to resolve food safety concerns at least once a semester; dine with students at school canteens at the beginning of every semester; and organize a food safety satisfaction survey every semester.
Second, a risk prevention system should be established with detailed measures for managing food procurement, inspection, processing, storage, distribution, etc. A robust school meal expense management system should be put in place and strictly enforced.
Third, oversight of canteen management should be enhanced by setting up feedback and complaint mechanisms as well as parent councils for school meal supervision.
Fourth, more investment is needed to improve canteen equipment, increase capacity building for canteen workers, and promote the digital transformation of school food safety management.
Fifth, the emergency response system should be improved so that any food safety emergencies can be handled properly and efficiently, with violators held accountable and punished accordingly.
Representatives from local educational authorities and several educational institutions shared their insights at the conference. An official from the State Administration for Market Regulation gave a report. Other attendees included officials from relevant departments of the MOE and provincial educational departments. Prior to the conference, MOE officials investigated school meal management in three schools in Hangzhou.
