3-year drive to ensure quality of students' supplies launched
Two market watchdog officials carry out an inspection at Qibao No. 2 Middle School on Tuesday.
A worker disinfects the premises at Shanghai Lujie Co, a school meal supply company in Minhang District, on Tuesday.
Shanghai's market regulators announced on Tuesday a three-year campaign to ensure that supplies for students and children are up to standard, on the eve of the start of the new semester.
The campaign will be conducted by the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, Shanghai Education Commission and relevant children and women commissions.
The goal is to significantly improve the quality of students' supplies in three years, the administration said.
The standard quality rate of key products will be raised to above 90 percent by 2023, and there will be a strict crackdown on practices involving substandard products and unlicensed production and sales.
Among 115 types of products, 23 such as toys, dishware, clothing, furniture, lights, uniforms and stationery have been listed as key products that will be put under strict scrutiny, according to the administration.
A staff member monitors surveillance cameras at a school meal supplying company in Minhang District on Tuesday.
A worker does clean-up work at a school meal supplying company in Minhang District on Tuesday.
Officials will particularly focus on quality- and safety-related indexes which may lead to mechanical, physical and chemical hazards, such as toy parts, strings on clothing, and melamine migration amount in dishware used by students and kids.
Wholesale markets, trade markets, e-commerce platforms and businesses near schools notorious for providing substandard products to students will be especially targeted.
Meanwhile, market regulators conducted inspections at local schools on Tuesday to ensure food safety ahead of the new semester that kicks off on Wednesday.
"The consecutive high-temperature days recently have pushed up potential hazards in food processing," Fan Yaoqiang, deputy director of the Qibao Market Regulation Station in Minhang District, explained.
"We have ordered food suppliers and canteen operators at schools to implement strict disinfection and separate raw and cooked food as well as tools used to process them strictly to prevent cross-infection," he said.
The Qibao No. 2 Middle School conducted a drill on food supply on Tuesday.
Market regulator officials during an inspection at Qibao No. 2 Middle School on Tuesday.
A staffer prepares disinfected dishware at a school meal supplying company in Minhang District on Tuesday.
The school, which will see more than 2,000 faculty and students having meals from Wednesday, has enhanced cleaning and disinfection.
The cooking and meal-serving interval will be kept at one hour to minimize hazards resulting from long-time exposure of food, chefs at the school said.
A food safety intelligent monitoring system has been installed at food supplying companies in the district.
At Shanghai Lujie Co, a school meal supplier, surveillance cameras show real-time scenes captured in the food-processing areas.
The cameras can capture round the clock food operation workers' failure to wear masks or caps as well as movements of rats in kitchens. If irregularities are detected, the company's management staff will be alerted automatically and immediately.
