Experts warn about school canteens

While it is stated that the products sold in school canteens may not be healthy for students, experts on the subject said that the products sold in school canteens should be carefully selected and these environments should be managed in accordance with clean and hygiene rules.

Making a statement on the subject, Medical Park Karadeniz Hospital Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü said, “The issue of school canteens is very important. Because our students and children who shop here may not be able to make the right decisions to protect their rights and make healthy choices like adults. Therefore, the options we offer them should be healthy and school canteens should be managed with a service approach that meets the needs of students in school, rather than focusing on making more money. In this regard, both school directorates, parents, parents and the Directorate of National Education should carry out inspections. Because our children can sometimes buy diseases from school canteens. For this, we need to make sure that the products sold are healthy products. First of all, it is important that all products are stored and transported under appropriate conditions and that expiration dates are not expired. In particular, the sale of open food should be minimized as much as possible and the people working there must comply with the hygiene and cleaning rules written in the regulations. The products sold here should also be products that support children in terms of their health. Because depending on promotions, packaging or advertisements, children may also choose products that pose a risk to their health. It is important that more protein foods are planned to meet the daily nutritional needs of children in terms of snacks or main meals.”

Underlining the importance of the cooperation between families and schools, Özlü said, “In this respect, it is important that both school management and school-family cooperation are careful. Canteens are a really important need. We should send our children to school safely and make sure what they eat there and how they are fed.”