Schools stop lunch programs after spoiled chicken discovery

Due to a parent-led inspection that uncovered spoiled chicken meat at a food company supplying ingredients to school cafeterias, four schools in Ho Chi Minh City have decided to cease providing lunches. These schools are Truong Thanh Primary School, Truong Thanh Secondary School, Phuoc Thanh Primary School, and Long Thanh My Primary School. The suspension of school lunch services will commence on October 30. All of these schools source their food from a company located in Thu Duc's Long Thanh My Ward.

The issue came to light when the Parents' Committee from Phu Huu Primary School conducted a food quality inspection for the meals served to their children on October 25. During the inspection, they discovered spoiled chicken meat stored in the freezer at the implicated food supply company. Additionally, in the area where spices were stored, some bottles of chili sauce lacked proper caps.

The implicated food company is also the supplier for the four aforementioned schools. Although the food company stated that the spoiled chicken meat had been discarded following food processing and was not utilized in the students' meals, parents expressed their concerns about the unacceptable practice of storing spoiled meat in proximity to other food items.

In response to this issue, the leadership of Phu Huu Primary School engaged in discussions with parents and reached an agreement to terminate the contract with the food company in question. Consequently, they decided to halt school lunch services from October 26 until a new food provider can be secured.

In light of the situation, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, the deputy head of the Thu Duc City Department of Education and Training, reported that the four impacted schools have consulted with parents. While they search for a new lunch provider, parents have the option of bringing their children home for lunch, or students can bring their own lunches to school. The suspension of school lunches will affect approximately 4,000 students.

This development comes in the wake of an earlier incident in Hanoi, where several students at Thanh Cong B Primary School experienced food poisoning after consuming a school lunch. It's worth noting that this school was not affiliated with the food provider implicated in the recent case, but the incident has raised awareness among parents throughout the country, prompting increased vigilance regarding school meal quality and safety.