In previous article, Binh Duong Newspaper has reported on low quality of meals for workers. In responding to our interview, Physician Huynh Thanh Ha, who is Director of Health, Labor and Environment Center, confirmed the issue.
- How is your assessment of meals for workers nowadays when it is claimed that workers only are offered VND-5,000 to VND-6,000 meals or VND-8,000 meals in 60% of local enterprises?
Our healthcare sector has been working on healthcare with initial focus on nutrition. As for meals for workers in enterprises, it is a truth that workers are only benefit for VND-5,000 to VND-6,000 meals due to burden of many charges. At such rate, we can not be sure of the quality which is required for health even to light working staffs.
- How much energy does each worker need on daily basis to recover his/her labor? And, what should be included in the meal at which possible price?
To recover, workers need complete meals with nutrition. They can avoid accident caused by lack of health. For the sake of healthy workers, each meal needs alternative food to be more delicious and be balanced at 20g of sugar, 10g of salt, 20g of fat oil, 50g of seafood, and 300-500g of vegetable. If the meal is constructed like this, it is priced at approximately VND 18,000 to VND 20,000. Then, the current meals are just 50-70% of the possible requirements.
- Can you clarify the working categories and for different working sector, what the quality of the meals should be?
Meals depend on many factors including working sector, rate, and characteristics.
We can divide working sectors as follows:
Light labor (administrative agents, teachers)
Average labor (constructors, farmers, soldiers)
Heavy labor (in agriculture and heavy industry) Special heavy labor (in forestry, metal welding)
Workers in field of processing garments, shoes, and woodwork are categorized as average laborers. The more we work the more we should eat. Daily meals essential for vital body include protein, lipid, glucose, and other energy substances such as vitamins, minerals and water.
For average workers, it is estimated that we should recover 2,500 to 2,700kcal which requires that the meal should include 100-200g of protid, 30g of lipid, 400-500g of glucid, 300-350g of vitamins and minerals.
To make such a meal, it would cost some VND 10,000 to VND 12,000 as estimated within current price scheme.
- Thank you!
Interviewed by Tam Thu – Translated by Vi Bao
