To further strengthen the democratic supervision mechanism for food safety in primary and secondary schools, the Department of Education recently issued the Sichuan Provincial Guidelines on Parent-Accompanied Meal Program in Primary and Secondary Schools (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines). The document clarifies the responsibilities of schools, the rights and obligations of parents, and the role of educational administrative departments. It standardizes the workflow for implementing the parent-accompanied meal program, aiming to foster a coordinated home-school partnership in supervising campus food safety.

Last November, the General Office of the Ministry of Education issued the Guidelines on Food Safety and Meal Expense Management in Primary and Secondary Schools. The document mandates that schools rigorously implement the meal accompaniment system that requires principals to dine with students at school canteens, and those meeting the necessary conditions should establish a parental accompaniment system for meals. The Guidelines Sichuan has formulated clearly state that primary and secondary schools (hereinafter referred to as schools) should fully implement the parent-accompanied meal program, indicating that every school in the province must adopt this parent-participation meal initiative.

The Guidelines stipulate that schools must comprehensively evaluate institutional factors—including school size, meal service model, and geographic location—when implementing the program. Specifically, schools are required to convene a special meeting to deliberate on matters related to parental meal participation and invite members of the Parent Committee for Campus Meal Supervision to attend the meeting in an advisory capacity. The parent-accompanied meal program operates on a voluntary application basis. Schools should clearly define the application process, time limits, and other details and arrange designated staff (either full-time or part-time) to organize and manage the program effectively. Schools have the autonomy to determine the frequency of parent-accompanied meals based on educational needs, teaching schedules, and parental participation requests. Urban schools are generally expected to host at least two such meal sessions per semester, while rural schools should aim for at least one session during the same period.

Sichuan's Guidelines explicitly outline parental oversight rights, which include: supervising the nutritional composition and flavor profiles of meals, food quality, portion sizes, service quality, hygiene and sanitation conditions of the canteen, and the meal distribution process; reviewing the publicly displayed materials, such as "Internet+Bright Kitchen" surveillance footage, school meal menus, and canteen management documentation; and assessing the overall quality of the meal service provided by the school, among others. Local educational administrative authorities are responsible for guiding the orderly implementation of the parent-accompanied meal program in schools within their jurisdiction. They should also incorporate the implementation of this program into their regular supervision of campus food safety and meal expense management, ensuring a direct channel for parents to report any concerns regarding the program. Local educational authorities are also required to regularly collect feedback and evaluations from parents regarding the parent-accompanied meal program in schools within their jurisdiction, analyze the prominent issues and constructive suggestions raised by parents, and guide schools in optimizing meal management and enhancing the quality of dishes served.