Auditor- General's 2009 Report on Poor Food served in School

Tuesday October 26, 2010 - Star Online

School kids served poor food

POOR children in some schools are being served unbalanced meals while others are eating meals prepared 18 hours in advance, said the Auditor-General’s 2009 Report.
The Education Department issued a notice of periodic monitoring to two schools for serving sardine sandwiches with no sardines and chicken porridge with no chicken.
Two schools in Perak cancelled their contracts with caterers because they continued to flout meal regulations.
Dieticians from the Health Ministry said the meals served under the supplementary food programme (RMT) meant for children from poor families could lead to malnutrition.
The Education Ministry has prepared a guide which lists 20 menu choices to be served under the RMT.
The guide also says the meals must include meat and vegetables to ensure a balanced diet for the children.
The meals, which consist of one main dish, a drink and a fruit must be prepared and served five times a week by a school-appointed caterer...........
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/26/nation/7298263&sec=nation

A-G's Report: Poor schoolchildren served unbalanced meals


Published: Monday October 25, 2010 MYT 8:42:00 PM

By SHAUN HO/ Star Online

KUALA LUMPUR: Poor children in some schools are being served unbalanced meals while other schools are serving food prepared 18 hours earlier, the Auditor-General's Report 2009 said.The state Education Department issued a notice of periodic monitoring to two schools for serving sardine sandwiches with no sardines and chicken porridge with no chicken.
Two schools in Perak cancelled their contracts with caterers because the caterers continued to flout meal regulations although the matter was brought up by the schools.
Dietitians from the Health Ministry said the meals, served under the additional food program (RMT) meant for children from poor families, could cause the children to be malnourished.

The Education Ministry has prepared a guide which lists 20 menu choices to be served under the RMT.

The guide also controls ingredients of the food, which must include meat and vegetables, to assure a balanced diet for the children and this must be followed closely by the caterers.

The meals consist of one dish, a drink and a fruit item which must be prepared and served five times a week by a school-appointed caterer.
SK Jernang in Batang Padang, Perak was found to have been serving beef curry that was cooked and stored 18 hours before it was served to students. The caterer gave the excuse that the school was far from the premises and there was not enough time to cook the food on the same day.

The Audit Department said the ministry should come up with an alternative measure that would allow caterers to prepare and serve the food on the same day it is served.An audit at the school also found that it was only serving four daily breakfasts instead of five.
The school did not give an explanation why it did not serve all five meals. An audit on the school last July also found that it was only serving plain fried beehoon without any meat or vegetables. The serving of fruit with the meal was also less than required (a slice of apple instead of half an apple).
The A-G's Report also said some schools were found to be preparing their RMT meals in unsanitary conditions because they did not have proper food preparation areas.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/25/nation/20101025205015&sec=nation



My comments;

This column is reporting on supplementary food programme (RMT). This program is to help the malnourished students from the poor family.. The food is subsidized to the student RM1.80 per head every day.. The food contractor will get a lump sum of amount paid by the Ministry of Education.. The problem here is not about there is no guidelines or well balanced menu been offered.. The problem are monitoring and supervising food contractor on preparing the food for the students. Most of the food contractor actually gain their profit from here... the school authority give all their trust to the food contractor without any hesitation because the school admin and teachers have abundant of workloads to be done rather than just supervising on the food been prepared by the food contractor.. Sometimes, the food contractor will give different food to the teachers compared to what they prepared for the students.. 

Imagine that the food contractor prepared fried noodles without any vegetables and meat as ingredients but just added fermented soy sauce and blended anchovies as substitute... the profit making of the fried noodles are more than 200%.. So what should we do especially the parents.. we cannot hope on the teachers...so to whom should we blame on this cause... Mostly people will blame 120% to the food contractors... which their contract will be terminate immediately BUT that do not solve the problem..Food contractor are business people too, they always think of how to make money especially in a captive market which the customers are limited to a certain number..


That is why as i stated in my last post on the Wishing List...Parents, teachers, school admin and Ministry have to work together to provide a better food to the students.. not just for the RMT program but to all. Maybe it's time for us to have a paradigm shift on the school canteen management.

My comment on this post about canteen food for school children

I like to comment a bit on this issue posted by Borneo Post Online.. It is just from my perspective why this issue is consider stale but need attention...My comments are highlighted in PINK.

Better canteen food for school children

http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=67748&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Posted on October 10, 2010, Sunday by Borneo Post Online

THE sale of junk food at school canteens is an old issue – first brought up by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia as far back as 1980 and highlighted periodically over the last 20 years.

Regrettably, little improvement has been made despite ample guidelines for school authorities and canteen operators to follow. All depends on the School authorities and it is not compulsory to the canteen operators to sell healthy foods..
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has warned that continued selling of unhealthy food and snacks in schools could lead to the nation raising future generations of overweight students and obese grown-ups.
He urged operators to abide by the revised 1985 School Canteen Guidelines (SCG), jointly prepared by the Ministries of Education and Health.Enforce by whom??
There is no denying schooI canteens are still selling fried and high-calorie food. Although some are considered “appropriate” under the updated SCG, dieticians nowadays do not encourage their consumption by children and suggest replacing them with more nourishing meals.
The drawback is most children tend to shun healthy food probably because they are not as tasty with less or no sugar, salt and preservatives added. Healthy food doesnt mean tasteless... it should be well balance..Canteen operators are left with no choice but to revert to the less healthy but “more sellable” stuff.Do they care? No.. they are just thinking about profit making..

As one operator pointed out, no fried chicken, no business.Many children also dislike eating health-giving vegetables and usually leave them untouched on the plate. How about fruits? Vegetable can be substitute with fruit, right?Apparently, these youngsters are not educated on nutrition – why it’s important to separate the kernel from the husk. If children are taught early to appreciate it’s the eating habit that makes or breaks their health, they are likely to be more selective about what eat to stay healthy.Not only the children need to be educate about nutrition.. The teachers, parents and food contractors also need to be educate about the importance of healthy food too..
According to nutrition experts, there is no good or bad food – only good or bad diets.
“Health problems are caused not just by a specific food but rather the obsesogenic (obesity-causing) environment where food is omnipresent. Mechanisation is also causing people to be more sedentary.
“These all lead to chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease,” explained Associate Professor Dr Poh Bee Koon, head of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.I agree... School can control the menu that had been offered.. once the students were introduce with healthy food... one day they will accept it...Like what Jamie Oliver had done in UK school canteen, he introduced well balanced menu..
She pointed out that while school canteens were not entirely to blame, they were still the main suppliers of daily food for school children and, thus, had an important role in promoting good eating habits.
A most common mistake among parents is packing their children off to school without breakfast. Studies have shown one in three kids do not get any breakfast everyday.That's why school canteen actually play an important role to provide well balanced menu to the children..They are captive market..
Dr Poh advised giving schoolchildren, not used to eating early in the morning, at least a nutritious drink — even better a slice of bread or a bowl of cereal. According to research, children who do not have breakfast tend to perform below those who do.

As the search for the perfect diet (if there is any) remains elusive, people, generally, can eat what they like but a diet with less unhealthy food is the key. And since Nature dictates that penalty should follow excess, everything should be taken in moderation. Even if something is good, too much of it can be bad.

Wholesome diets are important to the development of a robust and healthy society. Government agencies and NGOs such as consumers’ movements should campaign actively to drive home the importance of nutritious sustenance.That's is why i stated in my wishing list.. we need school canteen association..


This calls for more than just asking fast food chains to cut sugar, salt and fats. The campaign must be multi-pronged with healthy dieting as the core message to especially the younger generation. Manufacturers of food and drinks and eateries catering to both the public and schools should also make the effort to acquire a proper understanding of nutrition.
Assunta Hospital dietician manager Ho Shiau Fen has a very sound cooking tip to offer — use garlic and onions to add taste to food instead of seasoning products such as salt and sugar high in fat content. She also said there are no better substitutes to obtaining full nutritional benefits than from natural food sources.Cook from scratch say NO to instant food..

As society becomes more affluent, people tend to seek out the good life. Healthwise though, over-indulgence can exact a heavy price. Indeed, for efficiency and productivity, we can ill-afford a nation of fat and unhealthy people. By right, diets should improve with guidebooks so easily obtainable these days. But heaps of literature alone will not eradicate bad eating habits. As with other similar issues, nothing much will change (for the better) with lax enforcement or a laissez-faire attitude. ;p


Just my one cent..

Wishing List For Our Food service School In Malaysia

I' m back..

I am quite surprise that there are people outside there paying a visit to my blog..Hahaha.. why am i laughing? well i am not the blog expert, not a guru of any theory but just a normal person like others.. But i appreciate to any of you that read my blogs and give their comments..Thank you..

Maybe people not a Malaysian will wonder why did i give bad comments about my country's school canteen.. Well, if you googling or yahooing try to type school canteen.. if type school canteen Malaysia.. there will be stories telling about food poisoning happened here and there... But if you type school canteen in australia.. you will see a lot of topic about healthy food, school canteen association, how to keep up a good school canteen operation and when you type singapore school canteen.. you can get to know their policies and how they practice healthy eating...

That is why i have a Wishing List..

I wish that  Malaysia Public School Canteen should have:

1. School canteen association (School Admin, teachers and parents as committee) not just PTA (PIBG)

2. Indoor school canteen

3. Using the commercial equipment not household equipment

4. Use cycle Menu for children not static menu...example: Nasi Lemak everyday

5. Food service officer in each District - monitoring on contracts, operations, training,menu and prices

6. Education background and skills for Food Contractors and Food Handlers

7. Vending machines such as fruit juice, crackers, breads and plain water.. not soda or chocolates

8. On going training for the food handlers in school not just one shot training conduct by Ministry of Health

9. Better Infrastructure for the school canteen kitchen: Drainage is always a problem, Dont just use a dustbin!

10. A good kitchen management manual as a guidelines and references not just a purpose of just needed one

At the moment, that is my wishing list... hope in the future.. there is a difference..

Knowledgeable and Skillful Food Handlers In School Canteen.. Compulsory Or Not??

Hello everyone,

Have you seen any of the food handlers in school canteen wearing exactly or similar to the picture? Ok, you have the answer...

Today i would like to discuss about food handlers. According to Malaysia Food Act 1983 (Food hygiene regulation 2009), a food handler is defined as "any person involved in a food business who prepares,serve, touch, package the food including drinks and handle kitchen and dining equipments,utensils, plates etc". So basically we have to understand that any person who are knowledgeable or not about food can be in the food business including school canteen.. Do you think preparing food for captive market at a fixed price is something easy to be handled especially for the customer who need to eat a well balanced diet for their growth? the answer is NO...

Since 2010, all food handlers are compulsory to attend food safety course if not that person can be fine at a certain amount..the fee to attend for the course is estimated below RM50. There are more than 100 qualified trainers appointed by the Minister of Health Malaysia.So, check their certification is it valid or not.... But for food business people who have more than 5 workers.. they will said it is costly.. Why do they say that.. because they are thinking about profit making... They never think of the risk that they put into.. especially to the children.. The trust that the school and the parents have on them... They never think about social responsibility... Why do this happen? Why must they become so selfish.. We are paying for their food but they never think of the risk that they are facing.. with a small investment to the workers to attend the course will actually help the food handlers to understand why they should carry out the good hygiene practices if not .. they just do what they thing is right although what they are doing is actually wrong and risky..The answer is the need for knowledge, knowledge, knowledge...

As a food handler especially in school canteen, we need to have at least a basic knowledge or skill in food handling . Why do i say so... this is because the food handlers should prepare the food that the customers need to have NOT only what the customers want to have... But now, we can see that most of the canteen just offering based on the limited budget to gain more profit from this captive market.. Who are the captive market... the students especially the primary students.. Getting fried noodles that only have noodles with soyabean ketchup with no chicken meat, very rare to find vegetables... What do the children gain from eating that fried noodles?? Just to fill up their tummy not in term of nutrition value at all..

Some of the food contracter just leave the job 100% to the food handlers, some of them totally not from malaysia... I am not saying the outsider coming to malaysia is not good but basically their background are not well educated and need a full supervision. In my opinion, we can have any type of people but by having a good experience, skills and education background will help to generate a better food service operation in schools.

My comments is not concluded to all the primary schools in Malaysia.. but the most sad things usually happened is in the government school. Why do this happen.. we have ways to choose food contractors. But why do we overlook this small things.. especially in term giving a healthy balance meals for our children..For example: Some of the Chinese school,such as for standard one and two students, the parents have to pay for a month in advance and they can choose the menu for their children.Surprisely, the food that had been prepared in the canteen is well balanced.

Its time for our school food service especially in primary school to have a paradigm shift.. The food service system need to have a better operating system for a well balanced meal for our children that spend almost 75% of their time in schools.. Not only our children can be excellence in education but also build up a healthy lifestyle for a better living...

Our School foodservice is stagnant...

Why do i say that our school food service is stagnant especially in rural area..1st the environment of the canteen is the same since 30 years ago till now. The differences are only there are curtains, tableclothes and fans but the table and bench are still the same been used till now. In term of technology wise, we are going forward like handphone, GPS, MP3 etc.. But why our institutional foodservice or school canteen are still stagnant?Look at the canteen kitchen layout and the equipment been used.. is it in the path for the better future for healthy eating. In my opinion, i dont think so...

And for sure the food contractor do not have standardized recipe.. What is standardized recipe? Well if they want to cook fried rice.. there should have the list of ingredients and method of cooking.. If they are offering fried rice for RM1.. The standardized recipe will help to formulate the cost of the ingredient for selling price at RM1..That's why we can see in different canteen there are variety ways food contractor offering fried rice. Why do the food contractor like to increase their food price?The reason is because of the cost of preparing the food are increasing because of our slow growth economy.. The food contractor will complained that they are not gaining much of profit. School food service is an institutional business.. it is not a commercial business such as fancy cafe or family, ethnic, fast food restaurant. The customers are captive market which means that they are the same customers everyday.

For me, that is not a wise way to solve the problem especially in Elementary school/primary school in suburban and rural area...The food contractor must not only have experience but also know how to make decision in managing school canteen. There are many ways we can reduce the cost of preparing the ingredients..A) Buy in bulk for non perishable item such as sugar,flour, rice etc.. B) Forecasting selling item for the whole week and plan to buy food for a week.. meaning food storage is important especially for perishable item such as poultry, eggs, vege etc. C) Menu planning is actually vital for the food contractor to plan what they should buy for future.. The most important thing is to select food vendors or suppliers.. Dont buy at grocery store in small amount because the price is different than buying in bulk..

I am not blaming food contractor 100%.. some are good especially for them who have foodservice experience and education background. That's why i dont agree when the tender is open for selecting food contractor to manage the canteen.. some of the selected food contractors didnt have any food service experience or education background. That's why food poisoning still happening in school.. According to World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2008 that food poisoning is among the top five main notifiable disease in MALAYSIA. Majority of the outbreaks occuring in schools.. Are we proud about it? For sure the answer is NO. Its not that the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health didnt do their work.. They did what they can but we as parents, we have PIBG.. so what should we do?

The school management also have to play their role in monitoring the canteen activities.. They have the canteen mangement guideline as a reference..i understood why the canteen committees sometime overseen the activities in the canteen because they have other things to do according to the schedule and canteen is not their priority or expertise.. maybe its time to create a job where a person in charge of monitoring the canteen activities especially in menu offering.. maybe menu variety will help to balance up the children nutrients. But HOW do we do that?Hmm.. lets think...think... think..

Next issue.. who cooks for our children in school canteen? Local or foreigner?

This is my 1st blog

Salam and greetings to all who visit my blog..

This is my 1st attempt to have my own blog although there are thousands of bloggers out there that have a fascinating issues to share with.. But I wish to share my experience and thoughts with anyone about our school canteen. This blog is purposely to share with others about our school canteen in malaysia.. At the moment, i am a postgraduate student focusing on behavior change among food handlers in school canteen.. my background is more as a food service educationist and my interest is more towards school foodservice operation and management.

From time to time i will update my blog to share with all of u about our school canteen especially in Malaysia. I am writing here is not to give a negative aspect or provoking about our malaysian school canteen, just sharing with the readers the scenario for a better future..

i am just an amatur writer so i would like to apologize if my wording is not clear or understandable..maybe by having my own blog can help me to improve my writing skills and my english language..