Recently, formulated by the Ministry of Education, the State Administration for Market Regulation, National Health Comission and other departments, the management regulation on school food safety and nutrition and health (hereinafter referred to as the regulation). According to the regulations, since April 1, 2019, kindergartens, primary and middle schools in general may not set up a retail section, supermarkets and other food premises in the school.

The regulation means that from next month, primary and middle school students across the country will have to say goodbye to the retail section in the school and will no longer have a chance to eat spicy strip, prawn slices or haw flakes in class secretly. The news caused a heated debate on the Internet, with some netizens even saying that a school without a retail section has no soul.

What should the students who indeed need do after the ‘drop out’ of the retail section? Article 20 of the regulation stipulates that, in general, primary and secondary schools and kindergartens are not allowed to set up retail section, supermarkets and other premises in the school. If it is really necessary to set up, it shall obtain permission according to law and avoid selling food with high salinity, sugar and fat.

In view of this matter, the crowd was divided into several factions, each with its own views.

Most parents said: for the sake of children’s health, the school should run retail section. However, some primary school teachers expressed concern: the retail section not only sells snacks, but also sells stationery and other supplies. If the retail section is banned, students will have to purchase out of school and their own safety will not be guaranteed. Of course, the most painful party is the students. If the life was without bumpkin balls, spiced corned eggs and other snacks, the students would be so sad. One senior three student said that she is often very hungry after self-study at night and needs to got energy from the retail section.

The regulation was well intentioned, after all, now food safety is a worrying problem, even in school canteens. On March 12, some parents reported that there were quality problems in the canteen of the primary school of Chengdu No. 7 middle school. After the incident, Chengdu authority set up a joint investigation team and held a press conference on the morning of March 17 to announce the latest progress of the school’s food safety investigation: all the remaining vermicelli has been sealed up for safekeeping.

The article 26 of the new regulation: the school canteen should establish and implement the food safety management system according to the relevant provisions, including cleaning and disinfecting premises and facilities and equipment, maintaining and calibrating, the control and management of the whole process from raw material purchasing to meal supply, cleaning and disinfecting tableware and kitchenware, and the management of the food additives, etc.

At the same time, part of spicy strip chaos was exposed in the March 15 evening party: the production source of spicy strip sold around the campus was unknown, and subsequent investigation found that the puffed flour gluten ball on the production line was flying everywhere and covered with dust. For example, Oufei food co., ltd. in Weishi county was punished for some employees without health certificates in April 2018.

The provisions of item 6, paragraph 1, article 126 of the food safety law stipulates that, if the food producers and runners arrange for those who are without obtaining a health certificate or with the disease affecting food safety and stipulated by the Health Administrtion Department of the State Council, to work in contact with ready-to-eat foods, the Food and Drug Supervision and Administration Department of the people’s governments at or above the county level shall order them to correct and give a warning. Whoever refuses to make corrections shall be fined not less than 5,000 yuan but not more than 50,000 yuan. If the circumstances are serious, the enterprise shall be ordered to suspend production or business running or even have its license revoked.

There is always a process for people to accept new things. The intention of the new regulation is good, but the actual effect is still to be validated.