On May 31st, 2018, Binh Dinh Department of Education & Training (DOET) collaborated with Ajinomoto Vietnam to organize a conference on deploying the Nutrition-balanced Menu Development Software to 45 local primary boarding schools. The Nutrition-balanced Menu Development Software is one of the key contents of the School Meal Project, which was initiated, invested and developed by Ajinomoto Vietnam, with the close consultancy and support from the National Institute of Nutrition - Ministry of Health.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Hieu – Head of Central Branch, Ajinomoto Vietnam was delivering his speech at the conference on behalf of the Company
  

The poster of “3 minutes to change awareness” helps schools educate pupils on nutritional knowledge through vivid visual images.

Pupils at Phu Dong Primary School – Da Nang are enjoying their nutrition-balanced lunch based on the software.

A close look at a nutritious ration of pupils at Chu Van An Primary School - Hanoi

The software offers schools a plentiful menu bank of 120 available menus with over 360 non-repeatable dishes for lunch.
After more than a year of research and development, the software’s menus were then ratified by the Appraisal Councils of the National Institute of Nutrition – Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education & Training. These menus are not only diverse and delicious but also nutrition-balanced.  

One of the outstanding features of the software is that it can support schools to develop menus by combining 360 available dishes in the menu bank or by selecting suitable local ingredients while still ensures nutritional needs of primary age. The software also helps calculate and manage the meal expense of pupils.

Under the framework of the Project, the poster of “3 minutes to change awareness” is also deployed to all schools. With nutritional knowledge being lively illustrated, the poster is a tool for schools to educate pupils on nutrition right from early primary years.

Besides, the Project implements the construction of Japanese standard “Model Kitchens” to assist schools in preparing nutrition-balanced lunches according to the menus in the software as well as to facilitate local schools to visit, study and apply.

Last May 23rd, the second “Model Kitchen” was inaugurated at Hoang Van Thu Primary School – Lang Son City. This is the first standard kitchen in the North with the total expense of nearly 2.3 billion VND. 
Until April 2018, the School Meal Project has been implemented in 34 provinces and cities with 2,910 primary boarding schools throughout the country by applying the Nutrition-balanced Menu Development Software in menu preparation as well as the illustration poster of "3 minutes to change awareness" in nutrition training for pupils.

Right after the Conference, each school can register for an account to have free access to the software.
It is known that Ajinomoto’s staff members that are in charge of the Project will make schedules to visit schools to instruct and answer questions related to the application of the software in boarding meal preparation.
With the aim of “carrying out the responsibility of contributing to education, nurturing and training future generations of the country through nutrition and health improving activities, thereby improving stature and mentality of primary pupils”, Ajinomoto Vietnam expects the School Meal Project to be expanded on a national scale soon.