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

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 25 - Title: Strict Management of Kindergarten Food Safety! The State Administration for Market Regulation Begins Soliciting Opinions

Xinhua reporter Dai Xiaohe

On March 25, the National Administration for Market Regulation announced that it, along with the Ministry of Education, has drafted the “Regulations on the Supervision and Management of Kindergarten Food Safety Responsibility Implementation (Draft for Solicitation of Opinions),” which is currently open for public comment.

This draft for public comment contains a total of 32 articles, primarily focused on implementing the “four strictest” requirements for food safety and ensuring that the responsibility for kindergarten food safety is firmly established. It clearly stipulates that food safety in kindergartens must be managed under the responsibility of the principal, with the appointment of a food safety director and safety personnel, and strict adherence to the “daily control, weekly inspection, monthly scheduling” system. Additionally, it specifies clear responsibilities for critical areas, including the selection of meal provision models, ingredient procurement and acceptance, control over the processing and preparation process, restrictions on high-risk foods, and cleaning and disinfection of dining utensils, ensuring that every step has regulations to follow and records to verify.

Food safety in kindergartens is a major concern for parents and is receiving significant attention from society as a whole. According to the Ministry of Education, there are over 250,000 kindergartens in the country, with nearly 36 million children enrolled. This large group of young children, combined with the centralized dining model in kindergartens, demands a higher and stricter level of food safety management.

The 32 articles of public opinion solicitation focus on seven key areas, creating a comprehensive and complete “safety net” for children’s food safety.

Responsibility implementation is the “fixed star” of kindergarten food safety and is also the core of regulatory accountability. The draft for public comment clearly states that food safety in kindergartens must operate under the responsibility of the principal. Whether it is the kindergarten cafeteria, contracted operating enterprises, or meal provision units, they must legally appoint food safety management personnel, clarify job requirements and specific responsibilities, and ensure that responsibility is assigned to individuals and effectively managed. At the same time, dynamic risk prevention must be strengthened, strictly implementing the “daily control, weekly inspection, monthly scheduling” system by establishing “three account books” to maintain daily inspection records, weekly inspection analyses, and monthly scheduling summaries, archiving relevant materials for reference, ensuring that food safety risks can be precisely controlled and dealt with in a timely manner.

Ingredient safety is the “first line of defense” for children’s diets, and standardized processing is the “key link.” The draft for public comment specifies the admission criteria for ingredient suppliers, encourages localities and kindergartens with conditions to implement public bidding and centralized procurement, and requires the establishment of an evaluation and exit mechanism for suppliers to ensure ingredient safety from the source; during the processing stage, it also clearly requires all parties to strictly adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and standards. Whether it involves cafeteria layout, equipment, or raw material storage and meal provision, every link must meet the requirements to eliminate safety hazards.

The qualifications of cafeteria staff directly affect the quality of food for children. The draft for public comment explicitly requires that kindergarten cafeterias, contracted operating enterprises, and meal provision units strengthen training and assessment for employees, especially enhancing spot checks on food safety management personnel; those who fail to meet assessment standards or job requirements must be corrected immediately, and their management qualifications must be suspended to ensure that all personnel are competent and maintain safety standards.

To reassure parents, the new regulations also strengthen social oversight, promoting the establishment of a co-governance pattern among families, schools, and communities. It specifies that kindergartens are encouraged to advance the “Internet + Bright Kitchen” initiative to achieve full-chain video monitoring; at the same time, strict implementation of the accompanying meal system and information disclosure system is required, enhancing the mechanisms for parents to accompany meals and report internal supervision with rewards, effectively safeguarding the rights of teachers, students, and parents to be informed, participate, and supervise, allowing everyone to engage in the oversight of food safety in kindergartens.

Furthermore, the draft for public comment also specifies severe punitive measures, outlining the “red line” for food safety: if kindergarten cafeterias, contracted operating enterprises, or meal provision units violate food safety-related laws and regulations, they will face heavy penalties, and “punishments will be applied to individuals” with bans from employment; those who commit crimes will be transferred to judicial authorities for processing.

(Editors: Wen Jing)

Keywords:

Food Safety