What ministries say about long term mechanism to keep school food safe

Several ministry-level departments, including those responsible for education and health, have recently responded to issues of public concern.

Long-term mechanism to keep school food safe

China will establish a long-term mechanism to ensure food safety in primary and middle schools and kindergartens, the Ministry of Education said on Nov 25.

In order to improve students' awareness of food safety, the ministry said information about food safety and nutrition will be included in teaching programs.

The ministry also called for more training of administrative staff in pilot areas, where a plan to strengthen nutrition improvement is being carried out, to promote their ability to give guidance and supervise food safety.

It said 417,000 of China's 515,000 middle and primary schools and kindergartens have introduced a regulation that requires school officials to accompany students during each school meal and eat the same food.

It also said that 398,000 of the schools and kindergartens have set up parent committees to supervise food safety and 340,000 have made their canteen cooking processes public so that the standards of food preparation practiced can be verified.

Child health service network established

China has established a service network for children's health that involves community medical institutions, maternity and child health institutions, children's hospitals and pediatric departments in general hospitals, the National Health Commission said on Nov 26.

Health services play an indispensable role in promoting children's early development, Yu Yanhong, a senior official with the administration said at an international seminar in Beijing.

The network offers healthcare services starting from pregnancy to promote children's physical, psychological, cognitive, emotional and social development, Yu said.

To deal with challenges such as inadequate and unbalanced health services, Yu stressed the importance of spreading knowledge to raise public awareness of children's early development and strengthening training in relevant institutions.

Children's early development refers to the all-around development of children up to age 8.

Central bank prevents and defuses financial risks

Positive progress has been made in preventing and defusing financial risks over the past year, the People's Bank of China said in a report released on Nov 25.

The 2019 China Financial Stability Report said the central bank has worked with related departments and implemented policies targeting different kinds of financial risks to ensure the financial market and institutions perform smoothly.

Financial markets are highly sensitive to global trade situations and rising uncertainties in global liquidity, the report said.

Faced with complex situations at home and abroad, the central bank will continue to stabilize the financial system and strike a balance between stable growth and risk prevention, it said. It will also properly handle and defuse all kinds of potential risks and prevent the triggering of systemic risks so that the legitimate rights and interests of the public will be protected, the report said.