Since the afternoon of 7/9, social media saw numerous posts, reportedly from parents of Trung Gia Primary School, reacting to the same day's midday school lunch.

Reports indicated that the stainless steel lunch tray contained only minced meat, bean sprouts, and one piece of grilled skewered meat. The daily cost for a school lunch is 40,000 VND, with the city subsidizing 28,000 VND and parents covering the remainder.

The posts garnered tens of thousands of interactions, with most commentators deeming the meal 'meager' compared to its price.

Speaking to VnExpress on the afternoon of 8/9, Nguyen Ba Hoang, Chairman of Trung Gia Commune People's Committee, stated that after receiving parent feedback, the commune initiated procedures to terminate the contract with the supplier, expected to be completed by tomorrow morning.

Students at Trung Gia Primary School will temporarily stop school lunches for one day (9/9) for the local authority to change suppliers.

"This is an undesirable incident. The local authority is eager and actively addressing it," Hoang said.

According to him, the meal supplier on 7/9 had legal documentation on the HanoiCheck application, Hanoi's school nutrition and food safety database system. In Trung Gia Commune, the unit exclusively supplied meals to Trung Gia Primary School, cooking elsewhere and transporting them to the school.

To prevent similar incidents, Hoang stated that the new supplier will be required to provide invoices each morning, and a monitoring mechanism will be established with participation from parents, the commune, and the school.

Trung Gia Primary School currently has about 1,500 students, formed by merging Trung Gia A and Trung Gia B Primary Schools.

The school lunch for Trung Gia Primary School students on 7/9. Photo: Provided by parents

Primary school students in Hanoi (both public and private) currently receive a 28,000 VND/day subsidy for school lunches. Those eligible for social welfare receive 40,000 VND. According to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, nearly 100% of primary schools organize school lunches, serving over 633,000 students.

This year, the city launched the HanoiCheck application for the first time, allowing parents and schools to look up information on eligible meal suppliers. Communes and wards are now responsible for selecting suppliers, instead of schools taking the initiative as before.

Thanh Hang