Saudi Gazette School canteen is a major source of concern for parents whose children go to school. The sight and smell of those tempting and mouth-watering junk food available in the cafeterias lures the young ones away from their clean and healthy home-made snacks. Parents have been complaining for years of the negligence in the inspection of the quality and nutritional value of food sold to students in school canteens. It is difficult to keep children away from it, therefore the school authorities should keep a check on the food available in their schools' canteens. The Ministry of Education's (MoE) rules are not strict and clear, hence different schools make their own different decisions. Some schools have almost no regulations and the school canteen conveniently sells chocolates, candy bars, sugary sodas, and potato chips that are high in fat, calories, and potentially carcinogenic compounds. Yet other administrators are proactive and have taken the initiative to ban soft drinks and chips. Mabrura Al-Shareef, a former teacher and a mother of two girls who attend a private school in Jeddah told the Saudi Gazette, “I am pleased with my daughters' school because they do not sell any potato chips or soft drinks at the school canteen. In addition, any chips or sodas will be confiscated from a girl who brings such nutritionally inferior foods from her home. However, the school does sell doughnuts and a few concerned mothers are discussing with the administration the possibility of replacing these fried desserts with baked goods that may be lower in fat, such as cupcakes or cinnamon rolls.” In a report printed in Al-Watan daily on Friday, the MoE has announced that it will be assigning a team of nutritional experts from a private company to visit all schools in the Kingdom and provide a detailed study and survey of the foods available in the schools. This mission is part of the Education Development Holding Company's projects to bring wide ranged improvements to the schools in the Kingdom, as in accordance with King Abdullah's vision for having a superior educational system for all children in the country. The team to inspect school food services is scheduled to visit all regions of the Kingdom. “The MoE urges all school administrations to cooperate with the visiting team, facilitate their work, and give them all the information they need to carry out their mission. The visit will include personally inspecting the school canteen and the products sold, along with a detailed questionnaire to be filled out by the school principal. Also, a group of approximately 10 students from each school will be interviewed to take their opinion on the foods provided and their level of satisfaction with the available snack items,” said Dr. Saad Bin Masud Aal-Fahaid, a spokesperson for the MoE. __
