Teachers and representatives of different schools in HCM City on May 10 attended a meeting to review food hygiene and safety activities at schools. — VNS Photo An Phương

HCM CITY — Six pilot schools in HCM City have ensured food-safety standards and teachers have become more aware of food-hygiene regulations, but schools still need to ensure quality meals and publication of food prices as well as the names of companies that make the food, the deputy director of the HCM City Department of Education and Training has said.

Speaking at a meeting to review food hygiene and safety activities at schools from 2017 to 2019 late last week, Bùi Thị Diễm Thu said one of the seven food-poisoning cases in the 2017-18 period was at a school.

She stressed the importance of closer cooperation between schools and students’ parents, and the need to inform them of the names of companies that make their food at school.

For the 2018-19 academic year, the Food Safety Management Board and the Department of Education and Training appointed schools in districts 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, Bình Thạnh and Tân Bình to only use food provided by companies recognised in food-safety supply chains or those with HACCP, ISO 22000, VietGAP, GlobaGAP certificates.

The Department of Education and Training targets by the end of next year to have all canteens with food hygiene and safety certificates and to have all schools run food-check systems and take part in training courses.

The department will also organise a large-scale rehearsal on investigation and handling of food poisoning in schools while further piloting food hygiene and safety activities in schools in the city’s remaining 18 districts.

HCM City has 1,974 schools, including 1,038 kindergartens, 466 primary schools, 281 secondary schools and 189 high schools.

There are 2,314 catering facilities found across all schools in HCM City, according to the department.

The head of the Food Safety Management Board, Phạm Khánh Phong Lan, among many representatives and teachers, attended the meeting. — VNS