Several schools told parents they could take children home for lunch or prepare meals to be brought to class, with teachers arranging spaces for pupils to eat and rest.
Nguyen Thi Hoai Bac, principal of Huynh Tan Phat Secondary School, said the school had temporarily halted its lunch contract after media reports suggested the supplier, SaGoFood Company, had used expired meat in food preparation.
“The school has decided to suspend the lunch supply contract while awaiting an official conclusion from the competent authorities,” she said.
With just over a week left before the Lunar New Year holiday, the school has yet to finalise an alternative plan. During this period, it will work with parents to survey potential new suppliers.
Huynh Tan Phat secondary school has more than 2,000 pupils enrolled in its canteen programme, all of whom have been using meals supplied by SaGoFood.
Earlier, Tan Quy Primary School also stopped using afternoon meals from SaGoFood from January 28 and announced a temporary suspension of its canteen service while awaiting further guidance. Since the 2023 academic year, the school’s pupils have relied on meals from the same supplier, with more than 1,130 pupils enrolled this year.
According to a source, at least 20 primary and secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City have used SaGoFood as their canteen meal provider this academic year, serving about 13,000 pupils daily. Huynh Tan Phat Secondary School has the largest number of pupils in the programme, while others range from about 250 to more than 1,400.
Meanwhile, two kindergartens in Phu Thuan ward urgently changed food suppliers on January 29, according to ward leaders.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said it is coordinating with relevant agencies to verify the case. As schools are responsible for selecting meal providers, principals bear ultimate responsibility if problems arise with canteen meals.