Nutritious meals provided to rural students

Students have a nutritious diet at a school in Suiyang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Yang Ying)

GUIYANG, May 20 (Xinhua) -- He Jichun, a 13-year-old student in Tailie Middle School of Sansui County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, likes nutritious meals in the school.

"My favorites are pork and pumpkin soup. Our canteen supplies three dishes and one soup for each lunch and supper, with apples and milk on offer -- even better than the meals prepared back home," He said, adding that his parents are busy with their farmwork.

He has cooked for himself since grade two in primary school, mostly simple meals.

The boy has grown fond of the yummy school meals. "I can always eat all the dishes up every time and sometimes I get a refill if I still want more," he said.

Saturday marks this year's Chinese Student Nutrition Day, which aims to call for attention to nutrition intake of students.

In 2012, China launched a comprehensive work plan on nutrition improvement in rural compulsory-education institutions.

In 2017, Guizhou Province, one of the country's most poverty-stricken areas, achieved full coverage of nutrition improvement measures in its compulsory-education schools in rural areas.

In December 2021, the province issued a notice on implementing a "5+X" meal supply model in rural schools, with the government providing 5 yuan (about 70 U.S. cents) of meal subsidies to each student per day and parents also providing a little. As a result, the standards and quality of school meals were raised, offering more nutritious menu options.

The meals at schools are more than palatable food combos, but carefully designed and tested dietary choices.

Guizhou Runquan Food Security Agriculture and Commerce Connected Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., a major supplier, test vegetables for pesticide residues before sending them to local schools.

"We require inspection reports for all the foodstuffs we purchase to ensure the safe supply of food ingredients. In addition, we have set up a transparent meat procurement system, facilitating food source tracing via videos," said Liu Jinfeng, head of the company. ■