BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- All primary and secondary school students in Beijing will be provided with utensils during school meals starting this fall semester in September, the city's education authority said Friday.

Citywide efforts to improve student nutrition and dining convenience have reduced the number of students required to bring utensils from 320,000 in early 2024 to just over 20,000 now, according to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission. Starting this fall semester, this remaining group will no longer need to bring their own utensils to school. Parents who prefer for their children to pack their own are still welcome to do so.

The policy builds on national efforts. Under 2019 regulations on school food safety and nutrition management, parental participation in oversight is encouraged. In 2020, the Ministry of Education promoted the central kitchen model to improve meal quality, efficiency, and safety while ensuring nutrition.

Currently, 2,114 school sites across Beijing provide meals for 1.81 million students. Previously, students at schools without canteens or dishwashing facilities had to bring utensils.

Beijing is expanding trials of a "central kitchen+" model for school meals, relocating initial food processing like washing and trimming to off-site facilities. The city is retrofitting campuses to create compact "micro-kitchens" equipped with smart cooking devices and installing dishwashing equipment. Stricter hygiene standards for utensil disinfection have also been implemented.

A "school-to-school cooperation" mechanism has been established, which allows schools with sufficient kitchen capacity to supply meals to nearby schools lacking facilities, shortening delivery times and better preserving food quality.

Future plans include building a traceable smart canteen management system, establishing a bulk food ingredient purchasing platform, and increasing the number of new self-operated school canteens, the commission said. ■