Strictly regulate preschool food safety! The State Administration for Market Regulation begins soliciting opinions

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 25 (Xinhua) ** Topic: Stricter Oversight of Kindergarten Food Safety! The State Administration for Market Regulation Begins Soliciting Public Comments**

Xinhua News Agency reporter Dai Xiaoqiao

On March 25, the National Administration for Market Regulation announced that, together with the Ministry of Education, it has drafted the “Supervision and Management Provisions for Kindergartens to Implement the Food Safety Main Responsibility (Draft for Comments),” and it is currently soliciting public comments.

The draft for comments contains a total of 32 provisions. The core is to implement the “four strictest” requirements for food safety, ensuring that kindergartens’ responsibility for food safety is firmly落实. Among other things, it clearly stipulates that food safety in kindergartens shall be implemented under a principal-responsibility system. Kindergartens must be equipped with a food safety director and a safety officer, and must strictly implement the “daily risk control, weekly inspections, and monthly coordination” system. At the same time, based on the risk characteristics of food safety in kindergartens, from selecting the meal service model, to purchasing and accepting food ingredients, to controlling the food preparation and processing process, restricting high-risk foods, and cleaning and disinfecting tableware, these key steps have all been clarified with specific responsibility requirements, ensuring that every step has rules to follow and evidence that can be checked.

Kindergarten food safety is what parents care about most, and it has also drawn high attention from the entire society. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, across the country there are more than 250,000 kindergartens, with nearly 36 million children enrolled. With such a large group of young children, along with the centralized meal service model used by kindergartens, higher and stricter requirements have been put forward for the refinement and strictness of food safety management.

The 32 provisions currently being publicly solicited for comments mainly focus on seven areas, forming an all-round, whole-chain “protective net” for children’s food safety.

Implementing responsibilities is the “time-tested reference point” for food safety in kindergartens, and it is also the core of regulatory accountability. The draft for comments specifies that kindergartens shall implement a principal-responsibility system for food safety. Whether it is a kindergarten cafeteria, a contracted operating enterprise, or a meal provider, they must, according to law, appoint food safety management personnel, define appointment requirements and specific duties, and truly ensure that responsibility is carried out by people and carried out properly. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen dynamic risk prevention and control, strictly implement the “daily risk control, weekly inspections, and monthly coordination” system, and, by establishing the “three ledgers,” keep daily inspection records, weekly inspection and analysis, and monthly coordination summaries, file and archive relevant materials for reference and review, so as to ensure that food safety risks can be precisely prevented and controlled and handled in a timely manner.

Food ingredient safety is the “first line of defense” for children’s diet, while standardized processing is the “key link.” In light of relevant work guidelines, the draft for comments clarifies the entry conditions for food ingredient suppliers. It encourages eligible localities and kindergartens to adopt public bidding and centralized, designated purchasing. It also requires establishing a supplier evaluation and exit mechanism, so that ingredient safety is ensured from the source. In the processing and preparation stage, it also clearly requires that all parties strictly comply with relevant laws, regulations, and standards and specifications. Regardless of cafeteria premises layout, facilities and equipment, or ingredient storage, processing and meal service, every step must meet requirements, and safety hazards must be resolutely eliminated.

The professionalism of cafeteria staff directly relates to the quality of the food served to children. The draft for comments clearly requires that for kindergarten cafeterias, contracted operating enterprises, and meal providers, they must strengthen training and assessments for employees. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen spot-check assessments of food safety management personnel. For personnel whose assessment is not up to standard or who do not meet job requirements, immediate rectification is required. At the same time, their management qualifications shall be suspended to ensure that all people engaged in the work can meet their job responsibilities and hold the safety bottom line.

To make parents feel more at ease, the new rules also strengthen social supervision and promote a governance pattern in which schools, families, and society jointly manage matters. It clearly states that kindergartens are encouraged to promote the construction of an “Internet + transparent kitchen with visible operations” system, so that whole-chain video monitoring can be realized. Meanwhile, it strictly implements the accompanying-meals system and the information disclosure system, strengthens parents’ accompanying meals and internal supervision and whistleblowing reward mechanisms, and effectively safeguards teachers and students and parents’ rights to know, participate, and supervise—so that everyone can take part in supervising food safety in kindergartens.

In addition, the draft for comments also clarifies stringent punitive measures and draws the “red lines” for food safety. If a kindergarten cafeteria, a contracted operating enterprise, or a meal provider violates relevant laws, regulations, and rules on food safety, it will be punished more severely, and it will strictly implement “punishment applied to the individuals involved,” with a ban from engaging in related work. If it constitutes a crime, it shall be transferred to the judicial authorities for handling according to law.

(Editor: Wen Jing)

Key words:

                                                            Food safety