The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has cautioned that caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme who provide students with subpar meals run the risk of losing their contracts.
According to her, the Ministry looks into any complaints of subpar food and penalises caterers who don’t live up to the criteria.
Dr. Lartey gave Parliament an update on the program’s execution, stating that repeat violators had their contracts terminated and some caterers had been ordered to replace meals deemed to be subpar.
“Mr Speaker, indeed, on several occasions, we have come across below-standard meals prepared for the students. On some of these occasions, we have had to turn the caterer away with the meal for the appropriate meal to be prepared,” she said.
“Upon one or two cautions, we also have to revoke their contracts if they are unable to operate within the policy framework and standard operating procedures,” she added.
Dr. Lartey emphasised that schoolchildren’s health and safety would not be compromised by the government.
“If we have to delay feeding for the child to get a nutritious meal, then we will have to do that,” she said.
The Minister stated that it was anticipated that the program’s meals will be of higher quality due to the recent increase in the feeding stipend from GH¢1.50 to GH¢2.00 per kid and the elimination of the tax component for caterers.
According to her, the government is also creating school menu cards that serve as guidelines for portion amounts and food preparation.
Additionally, the government is testing School Connect, a digital monitoring tool intended to increase adherence to authorised menus and bolster accountability, with assistance from the World Food Programme and the Korea International Cooperation Agency.
Dr. Lartey also revealed the introduction of soybean powder as an affordable protein source to enhance the nutritional content of meals.
She said she was certain that the actions being taken would improve the efficacy and quality of the School Feeding Program across the country.
Source: newsthemegh.com