Shanghai Education Commission addresses school lunch safety concerns

As heated discussions among parents and residents in Shanghai continue over potential food safety issues related to school lunches, the Shanghai Education Commission said on Thursday that the meals in question, served on Monday, have been sent for testing.

The issue came to light when some parents posted on social media that the shrimp and scrambled egg dish served at their child's school "smelled bad". Some schools did not distribute lunch boxes that day, instead providing drinks and bread in the afternoon. The affected schools are located in districts including Xuhui, Putuo and Minhang.

The education commission said that in collaboration with the city's market watchdog, it promptly conducted an on-site investigation on Monday. Samples of the questionable dish and its ingredients have been sent to the Shanghai Institute of Quality Inspection and Technical Research Co Ltd and Shanghai Zhongwei Testing Technology Co Ltd for testing, with results expected within a week.

The meals were supplied by Shanghai Green Jie Industrial Development Co Ltd, which provides lunch for over 500 kindergartens, primary and middle schools across all 16 districts in the city, delivering more than 500,000 meals daily.

The education commission pledged to listen to feedback from students and parents, adhere strictly to campus food safety regulations, and improve the quality of school meals. Measures will include school officials dining with students, leveraging parent committees for meal supervision, and expanding menu options.

In addition, the commission said it plans to strengthen oversight of school meal providers and welcome various social sectors to participate in monitoring efforts to safeguard student health.