Lu Airu, headmaster of the experimental school affiliated with Beijing No. 20 High School, dines with students in the classroom.

Headmasters and executives in Chinese primary schools, middle schools and kindergartens have been encouraged to dine with students in school canteens to ensure food safety and collect student opinions about the food, Beijing Youth Daily reported on April 2.

In response to increasing concerns regarding food safety in school canteens, China’s Ministry of Education, State Administration for Market Regulation, and National Health Commission jointly issued new regulations on the administration of food safety and nutritional health in schools, brought into force on April 1.

According to the regulations, primary schools, middle schools and kindergartens in China shall establish a dining system which requires school officials to dine with students in school canteens, and as long as the conditions allow, these schools shall also introduce a mechanism to invite parents to eat with students.

Schools in Beijing have established various mechanisms to adhere to the new regulations, while many introduced measures years ago.

Liu Hong, the headmaster of Fengtai Experimental Primary School in Fengtai District of Beijing, has dined with students since the opening of the school canteen six years ago.

“Eating with students gives me the chance to get their feedback on the quality, taste, and their expectations of the food,” said Liu. She disclosed that the canteen has been following strict rules to provide students with food that fits their taste. Since the meals are prepared with less salt and oil for the students' health, the canteen also prepares separate dishes for the teachers, who may think the student meals are too bland.

According to Liu, the school has established a dual-insurance mechanism to help improve student satisfaction, which states that besides the headmaster, there will be a different senior school executive dining with students every day, who will have to fill in a dining record form.

Similar mechanisms have also been put into place in many other schools in Beijing.

Lu Airu, headmaster of the experimental school affiliated with Beijing No. 20 High School, said that besides dining with students, she asks students for their opinions on the food, to write detailed comments about the meals and provide suggestions for improvement.

All procedures relating to food supply in the school canteen must be recorded and inspected, said an executive of Dongsijiutiao Primary School in Dongcheng District of Beijing. He explained that information about the sources of ingredients, tableware hygiene, students’ opinions on the food, temperature of the food, and staff training would all be recorded in detail.

Moreover, some schools have established food committees and introduced mechanisms to invite parents into school canteens to dine with their children.

Fengtai Experimental Primary School has created a food committee made up of parents. Each semester, members of the committee visit the school kitchen regularly and gather students’ feedback on the food.

A primary school in Taishitun Town, Miyun District of Beijing has established a food committee made up of parents, students, and teachers. Members of the committee hold regular discussions to decide what food to serve in the school canteen.

Parents are invited to stay for a meal with the students during big events, and are encouraged to express their opinions and suggestions.

Xinqiaolu Middle School of Mentougou District of Beijing has also established a food management committee, which is made up of parents, teachers, students, school doctors, and officials.

Members of the committee dine with the students and collect their opinions on the meals, with each parent being invited to eat with students in the canteen for five days in a row.

One day is not enough, as there may be accidental factors, said Zhao Fang, vice-principal of Xinqiaolu Middle School, adding that eating with the students for five days can help the parents get to know the meals their children are eating every day.