Towards the end of August this year, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, in a bid to improve food safety on school campuses across the city, banned the making and selling of uncooked foods such as pastries containing fresh cream or products such as fresh kidney beans. This ban holds a special emphasis on imported products. The ban not only applies to school and kindergarten canteens, but to markets, supermarkets, and convenience stores near or around school campuses. Most importantly, this ban affects the catering companies often contracted by schools to provide pre-made lunches on campus.
We spoke to one such company that preferred to remain anonymous on what this directive by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission will mean for the industry. We were also seeking to understand the full scope of the “raw food” ban was. According to a representative from the catering company, raw foods also include fruit cuts, vegetable sticks, salad bars, and sushi. So no more refreshing fruit cup along with a typical lunch.
As schools continue to settle into a new semester, it is still unclear whether this might also apply to parents who wish to prepare meals for their children. We reached out to several schools to seek clarification on this matter but have not yet heard back from any we have contacted. It would appear that the only way kids might be able to enjoy a healthy bowl of salad, or even a simple sliced fruit is if it’s home-made. Whether or not it shall be allowed at school, we shall have to wait and see.
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