Over the past two days, the life of Ms. Thanh Hong from District 7 has been turned upside down. She now wakes up at 4h30 to prepare meals for her two children, who attend Nguyen Van Huong Primary School and Huynh Tan Phat Secondary School. At lunchtime, she leaves work early to reheat and deliver food to their schools before returning to her office, 5 km away.
"The commute is tiring and time-consuming, but the current situation demands it," Ms. Hong stated. "I no longer feel comfortable letting my children eat at school; I'll wait to see about a new supplier. Fortunately, both of my children's schools are on the same street."
Ms. Minh Loan, a parent of a 3rd-grade student at Tan Quy Primary School, opted to buy meals and deliver them to her child, rather than cooking. With her home 7 km from the school, she expressed concern that her child would lack sufficient rest if brought home for lunch and then returned, particularly given the hot midday weather.
Thousands of parents in District 7, Binh Chanh District, and Nha Be District are encountering similar challenges. Many schools suspended their lunch services after allegations surfaced against An Phuoc Thang SG Trading Co., Ltd. (Sago Food), a major meal provider in the region. The company is accused of using expired products and mislabeling buffalo meat as pork or beef for school kitchens.
Ms. Nguyen Diem, a parent at Nguyen Van Huong Primary School, spoke with emotion, stating, "Watching the video exposing contaminated food made my limbs tremble. My child used to complain the food was hard to swallow, but I dismissed it as a matter of taste. Now, I feel immense guilt."
Today, she decided to take her child home for lunch and rest, then return to school in the afternoon, seeking peace of mind.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan, Principal of Tan Quy Primary School, expressed shock upon learning that student meals might have contained contaminated or expired food. He noted the meal provider had been contracted with the school for over two years, secured through public bidding.
"Parents and the school board had previously toured the supplier's production facility. I and the medical staff also ate the same food as the students, so we never expected such an incident," Mr. Tuan added.
The principal acknowledged that temporarily suspending lunch services would create disruption and hardship for parents. This measure, potentially lasting until the Tet holiday, is a necessary temporary solution to safeguard student health. The school is coordinating with local authorities to identify reputable facilities to reinstate meal services.
"We will select two suppliers to prevent being caught unprepared, and we will conduct more unannounced inspections," Mr. Tuan shared.
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Parents bring meals and pick up their children at Nguyen Van Huong Primary School, Ho Chi Minh City, at noon on 30/1. *Photo: Hue Xuan* |
Yesterday afternoon, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training instructed all schools utilizing Sago Food's services to immediately suspend lunch programs and promptly identify alternative solutions.
The department requested the Food Safety Department collaborate on providing a "blacklist" of violating or high-risk facilities, enabling schools to screen and select new suppliers effectively.
Le Nguyen - Truong Yen
