Concerns Over Rotten Meat Served in Kunming School Cafeteria
Parents in Kunming, China are outraged after discovering that the cafeteria at Yunzi Middle School in Guandu District was serving rotten meat to students. Education authorities have confirmed the meat had an odor and samples have been sent for testing.
On October 16th, a parent in Kunming, China posted a video claiming that the cafeteria at Yunzi Middle School in Guandu District, which is affiliated with Kunming No.12 Middle School, was serving students meat that smelled rotten. “The entire tray of meat stinks,” the parent said.
According to parents at the scene, they found the meat emitting a foul odor and suspect there are serious problems with the school cafeteria’s food safety management. Video footage shows several large trays of meat sitting out on the counter. One parent emotionally confronted the cafeteria staff, saying “The whole tray of meat stinks, how can you stir-fry this for the children to eat? Do you have a conscience?” The parent also indicated they had already called the police.
Some parents posted on social media that they had reported the issue to the parent committee many times before but were suppressed by the head teachers. “Let’s see how they try to explain it away this time,” one post read.
On the 16th, reporters learned that multiple departments and the parent committee had gone to the school to handle the matter. A staff member from the Guandu District Education and Sports Bureau said that after receiving complaints from parents, they had coordinated with the market supervision department to investigate. An initial review found the catering company’s licenses were complete and the meat was purchased fresh that morning, but whether there are issues will depend on test results from relevant departments.
“The school cafeteria is run by a commissione all the required licenses. The meat was purchased on-site this morning. Parents may feel it has a bit of an odor,” the staff member stated.
The Guandu District Market Supervision Bureau has also dispatched personnel to the scene. According to The Paper, the Education Bureau staff confirmed some of the meat had an abnormal smell on-site and samples have been taken for testing.
The Education Bureau said it requires the school to solicit opinions from parents and is considering changing to a different off-campus catering company and terminating this cafeteria’s catering services.
It is understood that Yunzi Middle School is a private for-profit secondary school established in 2016. Food safety issues in school cafeterias repeatedly making headlines in recent years has many questioning which step of the process is breaking down and how severely it impacts student health. Experts warn that consuming spoiled meat can lead to food poisoning and potentially serious health consequences. Proper food storage, hygiene, and oversight are critical to ensuring the wellbeing of students.
As one Zhihu user put it, “Children are the flowers of the nation, but are we truly cherishing and protecting these flowers? When will students finally be able to eat a safe and healthy lunch at school?”
Authorities and schools clearly need to strengthen management and transparency around cafeteria food sourcing and preparation. Hopefully this incident prompts substantive reforms to finally provide students in China the food safety they deserve.