SGGPO 10/31/2023 09:34

Thu Duc City People's Committee has just issued an official dispatch to rectify food safety and hygiene in collective kitchens, canteens and food services in schools.

Accordingly, starting tomorrow (November 1), Thu Duc City will establish interdisciplinary inspection teams to conduct surprise inspections of compliance with food safety laws in collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools in the area.

The inspection subjects include collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools; establishments producing, processing, and trading raw materials, additives, and packaging; establishments that do not ensure food safety as reported in the media; and establishments that have complaints or feedback about food safety.

According to the plan, the inspection will be carried out from November 1 to 30. After the above period, the locality will continue with inter-sectoral and specialized inspection plans suitable for each period.

Inspection contents include: food processing procedures; business registration certificate; certificate of food safety qualified facility (for facilities required to have a certificate of food safety qualified facility); sales contracts, purchase invoices, product declaration/self-declaration records, documents related to raw materials, food, food additives.

Phu Huu Primary School (Thu Duc City) is one of six schools that have terminated their meal supply contracts with PAVL Meal Supply Company after parents discovered spoiled food in the food storage.

In particular, the delegation will check the nutritional quality of meals for students; test the water used during processing; the book of implementing the 3-step food inspection regime and sample storage; the hygiene conditions of the facility, equipment, tools, and human resources involved in cooking.

During the inspection, the inspection team will take samples of products that pose a risk of food safety and send samples for testing at designated testing centers.

The large-scale inspection aims to assess the compliance with legal regulations on food safety in collective kitchens, canteens, and food services in schools. In addition, it promptly detects, prevents, and handles food safety violations, contributing to the care and protection of students' health.

In addition, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City requested the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City to urgently direct schools with collective kitchens and canteens to proactively self-inspect food safety work and strictly comply with food safety regulations.

In the near future, the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City will report the results of ensuring food safety at schools in the area to the Standing Committee of Thu Duc City People's Committee and the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City.

Regarding the incident of discovering food with signs of spoilage at the unit providing meals for primary and secondary school students in Thu Duc City, the interdisciplinary inspection team of Thu Duc City inspected the PAVL Catering Company to check the meal processing process, documents, records, and food origin at the facility that was reported.

Food with signs of spoilage was discovered in the freezer of PAVL Catering Company.

The inspection results showed that no violations were found at the unit, however the inspection team issued a written warning about food storage in the freezer of the catering unit.

As of October 31, 6 primary and secondary schools in Thu Duc City have stopped their contracts with the above-mentioned meal supplier, however, some schools continue to order meals from this unit.