What are included in the school meals in Vietnam?

What are included in the school meals in Vietnam?

School meals under this Guidance will be applied to preschool education institutions and primary schools

Based on Subsection 1, Section 1, Part 1 of the Guidance on organizing school meals combined with enhancing physical activities for children and students in preschool and primary education institutions, issued along with Decision 2195/QD-BGDDT in 2022:

I. SCHOOL MEALS

1. Concept

School meals or meals provided at school are those prepared to provide energy and nutrients for students while they are at school. Such meals may include breakfast, lunch, afternoon meal, and snacks (afternoon tea) during mid-morning or mid-afternoon. The number of school meals varies depending on the type of boarding schools, semi-boarding schools, and education level.

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Thus, school meals are prepared to supply energy and nutrients to students while they are at school.

School meals may include breakfast, lunch, afternoon meals, and snacks (afternoon tea) during mid-morning or mid-afternoon.

What are included in the school meals in Vietnam?​ (Image from the Internet)

What is the role of a school meal play for students' health in Vietnam?

According to Subsection 2, Section 1, Part 1 of the Guidance on organizing school meals combined with enhancing physical activities for children and students in preschool and primary education institutions, issued along with Decision 2195/QD-BGDDT in 2022, school meals will play the following roles:

- Provide energy and nutrients for students to meet their learning and physical activity needs, and support their physical and intellectual development according to their age.

- Ensure food security for students who are eligible for free school meals, helping children grow strong and healthy, and maintaining their health for learning.

- Establish healthy eating habits that benefit the health of students.

- Assist in controlling nutrition-related diseases, including malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, and obesity.

What are the current conditions of organizing school meals in preschools and primary schools in Vietnam?

According to Subsection 3, Section 1, Part 1 of the Guidance on organizing school meals combined with enhancing physical activities for children and students in preschool and primary education institutions, issued along with Decision 2195/QD-BGDDT in 2022, the current conditions of organizing school meals in preschools and primary schools are as follows:

- According to statistics, for the 2019 - 2020 school year, only 26,392 kitchens/55,335 establishments, accounting for 47.7%, were available at the preschool level (including 15,461 schools, 23,960 school sites, and 15,914 independent classes). At the primary school level, only about 5,000/15,000 primary schools organized school meals for students, with over 3,300 schools having kitchens and over 700 schools using industrial meals.

- Organizing school meals still faces many difficulties and obstacles. The physical infrastructure supporting the organization of school meals is not yet adequate, especially in remote, mountainous areas with limited economic conditions.

Investment in building menus and ensuring reasonable nutritional quality meals has not been well implemented, and such meals have not been based on the energy needs of different age groups.

- Awareness of the role, significance, and necessity of school meals with appropriate nutrition among some leaders, staff, educators, parents, and students is still incomplete.

- There is a shortage of personnel in organizing school meals to ensure reasonable nutrition and food safety at schools, both in terms of quantity and quality.

- The organization of canteen activities in schools still lacks regulations and technical guidelines for scientific implementation. Consequently, this has somewhat affected students' reasonable nutritional behaviors.

- Reports indicate that nearly 40% of schools with collective kitchens and canteens do not meet food hygiene and safety requirements, and the management and supervision of school meals still have many limitations.

- In 2020, there were 90 food poisoning incidents nationwide, affecting 2,254 people. Some of these incidents occurred in schools, impacting students' health and causing concerns among parents. Therefore, strengthening measures to ensure food hygiene and safety in educational institutions is essential.

In summary, school meals are very important for students as these meals aim to provide energy for their entire day of learning. Therefore, ensuring school meals for students is crucial to avoid cases of food shortages or food safety issues.