On May 15, the Tay Ninh Provincial Labor Federation organized a workshop "Improving the quality of workers' lunch meals" with the participation of representatives of departments, branches, businesses and grassroots trade unions in the province. The workshop focused on assessing the current situation of lunch meals at enterprises, and at the same time proposing solutions to improve nutrition, food safety and conditions for organizing meals for workers.
According to the introductory report of the Tay Ninh Provincial Labor Federation, after merging the province from July 1, 2025, the whole province currently has 100 industrial parks and economic zones with more than 2,500 operating businesses, creating jobs for about 500,000 workers. Of which, more than 368,000 workers work in industrial parks and economic zones, mainly belonging to labor-intensive industries such as textiles, footwear, chemicals and logistics.
A survey from 1,045 grassroots trade unions shows that most businesses currently maintain a shift meal level of 20,000-35,000 VND/meal. However, there are still about 6.6% of businesses with meals under 18,000 VND. The report assesses that many meals currently only meet the need for "fullness", not ensuring enough nutrition and micronutrients necessary for workers with high working intensity.
Notably, the form of direct cash support into salaries currently accounts for about 42% of businesses applying. According to the Tay Ninh Provincial Labor Federation, this model, although flexible, is difficult to control nutritional quality, causing many workers to cut down on food spending to cover living expenses. Meanwhile, the self-organized kitchen model is assessed to be of better quality but requires large investment costs in facilities and human resources.
At the workshop, delegates presented papers and exchanged views on the organization of lunch meals, food safety and hygiene, and the role of grassroots trade unions in negotiating to improve the quality of meals and care for workers' lives. The workshop also spent time for leaders of departments and branches to discuss and propose solutions to remove difficulties for businesses in investing in standard dining halls and collective kitchens.
According to the Tay Ninh Provincial Labor Federation, improving the quality of lunch meals not only contributes to protecting workers' health but also helps regenerate labor, improve productivity and aim for sustainable development for businesses.
