The Guangdong Provincial Education Department recently announced that principals at all education institutions are required to dine with their students in the school canteens at least once a month starting in January 2016, Shenzhen’s education newspaper reported.

    According to the announcement, all schools need to build up systems that require the managing staff to dine with students every day at campus canteens to guarantee food safety and good management.

    For schools or universities with more than one campus, faculty managing staff should take the lead in dining with students. Managing staff should also take turns dining at each canteen if there is more than one canteen on the campus.

    The document specifically requires principals to dine at the school canteens with students at least once a month and four times each semester. Meanwhile, managing staff dining with students should line up and pay for dishes themselves. Separate dining areas or rooms are not allowed, according to the new rule.

    In addition, school leaders need to assess the quality and taste of the dishes offered at the schools and inspect the food safety. Student suggestions and feedback need to be recorded as well.

    School leaders or managing staff may have the same symptoms if any food poisoning occurs. The document also clearly asks the school leaders to report to the schools’ canteen management departments and make emergency solutions right after any abnormal situations.(Zhang Qian)