Continuing the conference series on deploying the “Nutrition-balanced Menu Development Software” nationwide, on July 24th, 2018, Ajinomoto Vietnam cooperated with Dong Nai Department of Education and Training to hold a conference on deploying the software to 13 local primary boarding schools

Mr. Vo Duy Phong – South Branch Manager, Ajinomoto Vietnam was delivering his speech at the conference
  

Pupils at Phu Dong Primary School – Da Nang are enjoying nutrition-balanced lunches prepared according to the software

The poster of “3 minutes to change awareness” assists schools in educating pupils on nutritional knowledge through lively, visual images

The “Model Kitchen” at Hoang Van Thu Primary School – Lang Son with modern facilities ensures food hygiene and safety in processing

Improving children’s nutritional condition through rational school meals is one of the key contents of the National Strategy in Nutrition and the General Plan for Physical and Stature Development of Vietnamese People in the period of 2011-2030. However, many primary boarding schools still encounter various difficulties in organizing meals due to the limitation in nutritional knowledge as well as the lack of experience in building menus meeting nutritional needs and fitting the monthly budget at the same time.

Understanding these difficulties, along with the strengths as a leading company in the fields of nutrition and health, Ajinomoto Vietnam researched and initiated the School Meal Project in 2012. 

The Project’s aims are to carry out the responsibility of contributing to education, nurture and train future generations of the country through nutrition and health improving activities, thereby improving stature and intellect of primary pupils. Since being approved, the Project has gained initial successes in several provinces and cities throughout the country with plentiful primary boarding schools using the software in preparing menus for pupils.

Continuing the conference series on deploying the software nationwide, on July 24th, 2018, Ajinomoto Vietnam cooperated with Dong Nai Department of Education and Training to organize a conference on deploying the “Nutrition-balanced Menu Development Software” to 13 local primary boarding schools.

Attending the conference were representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) and Ajinomoto Vietnam, School Management Boards and boarding staff along with representatives of Parents’ Associations of primary boarding schools in the province.

The “Nutrition-balanced Menu Development Software” offers 120 available menus with 360 non-repeatable lunch dishes that are nutrition-balanced based on the needs of school ages, diverse, delicious and divided into 3 regions: the North, the Central and the South. 

The software’s outstanding features help schools to create new menus by combining dishes available in the menu bank or by using local ingredients; check the nutrition of currently-used menus; calculate and manage pupils’ meal expenses.

Besides, the poster of “3 minutes to change awareness” is also deployed to schools as a tool for educating pupils on nutritional knowledge. The nutritional values and health benefits of foods are illustrated by lively, visual images, helping pupils to acquire and remember easily.

Another important content of the Project is the “Model Kitchens”. The one-way kitchens are built in line with Japanese standards, modernly and reasonably equipped, helping to save labor, time, and ensure food hygiene and safety in processing.

So far, the Project has constructed two “Model Kitchens”, with the first one at Trung Trac Primary School (Ho Chi Minh City) and the second one at Hoang Van Thu Primary School (Lang Son).

In the upcoming school year of 2018-2019, the kitchen at Hoang van Thu Primary School is expected to serve 1,500 pupils.  This is also the model for schools across the country to visit, study and apply in accordance with the practical situation of each place.

At the conference, Ajinomoto Vietnam’s representatives disseminated the content as well as instructed schools to apply the software into preparing menus and managing the meal cost of pupils. After this conference, Ajinomoto’s staff will go to each school to directly support their staff in using the software to optimize its efficiency.