SCHOOL CANTEENS are so rarely checked by the Health Services that according to some estimates, one canteen is checked every six years.
The revelation was made during yesterday’s House Education Committee, which had convened to discuss health and safety issues in school canteens following last week’s claims by Politis newspaper that a high amount of staphylococci had been found in a sandwich.
Asked how many checks had been carried out last year, Chief Health Inspector Giorgos Georgallas replied there had been just 93 across all of the island’s 574 schools.
A simple maths equation showed that one check was carried out every two school days; meaning one canteen is checked every six years.
Furthermore, canteen owners were warned beforehand that they would receive a visit by the Health Services, giving them plenty of time to ensure their canteen was up to standard.
“The problem is that canteen owners are warned before a check is carried out,” the head of the Consumers Association, Petros Marcou, pointed out, adding: “I personally attended one of these checks and found the woman in charge wearing a protective hat.
“I asked her if she wore this all the time and she replied that she only wore it because she knew we were going to visit.”
The meeting had no real outcome, which came as no surprise, seeing that identical meetings take place at the beginning of each year.
Education Minister Akis Kleanthous said he had given clear instructions to upgrade school canteens, while he also called on the Health Services to step up checks, which was something all deputies also agreed on.
Suggestions to upgrade products schools are allowed to sell were also made, as a means to combat the phenomenon of school children leaving school grounds to buy food from neighbouring shops.
Kleanthous said the Education Institute had been instructed to carry out an investigation in schools and seek the advice of experts to see how the school menu could be altered.
The results of the investigation will be presented to the Education Committee once it is complete, Kleanthous said.
AKEL deputy Takis Hadjigeorgiou said the meeting was a failure, pointing out that it was a repetition of the many other meetings that have taken place over the years – a mere description of the problem.
He suggested the Education Ministry meet with all the relevant bodies and come up with new ideas on how to combat the problem.
“Otherwise we will be here again next year, in the same place, making the same statements and repeating the same discussion,” warned Hadjigeorgiou.
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