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On request, this circular will be made available in Afrikaans, isiZulu or Sepedi within 21 days

Also available on the GDE website at:

Office of the Chief Executive Officer

Room 1009, 111 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg, 2001

PO Box 7710, Johannesburg, 2000

Tel: (011) 355-1511 Fax: (011) 333-5546 E-mail: OR

English: Page1 of 30

NATIONALSCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMME (NSNP)

1. PURPOSE:

1.1To inform all Public Primary Schools participating in the National School Nutrition Programme on the additionof fruit to meals in the short term, towards a feasibility study.

1.2To provide specifications for fruit to ensure that those delivered by suppliers meet specific requirements.

2.DEFINITION:

NationalSchool Nutrition Programme or “NSNP”, formerly known as the Primary School Nutrition Programme, means the programme of the Department of Education that:

a)will feeds learners at nominated schools;

b)enhances nutrition education through the curriculum;

c)facilitates the implementation of school gardens;

d)enhances and supports other related programmes for vulnerable children.

  1. BACKGROUND:

The National School Nutrition Programme was transferred from the Department of Health to the Department of Education on 1 April 2004 following a Cabinet decision in September 2002. It is a poverty alleviation strategy which targets Primary School Learners from the poorest communities.

4.RATIONALE:

The Department of Education, through the School Nutrition Programme strives to improve the Nutritional Status of Learners. Efforts towards improving the Nutritional Status of Children contribute to the Departmental Objective to reduce barriers to attainment of universal Primary Education. Health and Nutrition are thus considered important contributors to the success of learners and the learning process.

The NSNP provides daily meals to learners from a selection of standardised menu options, with guidelines from the National Department of Health. In order to comply with minimum food quality that requirements the NSNPwill give special attention to such requirements by ensuring learners have access to fruit at least twice a week for a short period of time (see point 5). The vitamin supplementation through the intake of fruit is deemed necessary for the majority of targeted learners who have limited access to a balanced diet rich in vitamins.

At the beginning of the Tender Contract of 2004/05, fruits and vegetables were supplied to NSNP schools. However, the Directorate experienced a greater challenge than expected, when sub-standard fresh produce were supplied to schools resulting in an immediate withdrawal of such. A feasibility study will be conducted towards a corrective measure and to asses, amongst others, the following critical areas to ensure an improvement in the supply chain management:

  • Quality of fresh produce
  • Capacity of service providers
  • Implementation (Delivery and lead time)
  • Storage conditions at schools
  • Acceptability of learners
  • Financial cost

5. DURATION:

The provision of fruit is short-term and will commence on 11 January 2006 to 29March 2006 i.e. twice per week’s supply totals 21 school days only.

6. FUNDING:

The supply of fruit is supported by additional funds of the NSNP budget, allocated to Provinces according to the DORA as well as a directive from the National Treasury (November 2005). It is allocated as a short-term expenditure and does not extend towards recurrent expenses on fruit in the future (after March 2006). No funding of fruit has been made available after this date.

  1. BENEFICIARIES:

Every learner on the School Nutrition Programme will have access to fruit, at least twice per week.

  1. LOGISTICS:

All service providers will source fruit for delivery between Monday and Wednesday for the consumption by learners on Wednesday and Thursday.

Availability of fruit is seasonal; therefore supply of fruit will depend on availability. For this period, a variety of fruit i.e. apples, oranges and bananas has been selected. The supply of selected fruit will alternate weekly i.e. a supply of apples in the first week, and another variety in the following week.

  1. GENERAL COMMENTS AND STORAGE CONDITIONS:

Apples

  • Keep apples in original cartons with lids closed to prevent absorption of other food or from passing odours to other foods.
  • Suppliers responsible for delivering the fruit to the schools must avoid apples with bruises, broken skin or internal browning.
  • Apples must be delivered in boxes.

Bananas

  • Bananas should be kept on a counter or table top. Bananas continue to ripen after harvest.
  • The handling, distribution and transportation of bananas may result in bruising of over ripe fruit.

Where inadequate storage facilities exist schools should ensure immediate consumption of fruits upon delivery.

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MALLELE PETJE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Annexure A

APPLES

  1. APPLES

1.1.Class II Apples shall consist of Apples:

  • That are clean, healthy, well formed and of a uniform size and that have at least a fairly good colour for the cultivar in question.
  • That is free from disease, insect infestation and damage.
  • That is free from decay.
  • That is virtually free from dry core rot, water care and core blush.
  • That are fairly free from superficial bruises, apart from bruises arising from rigid packing, which result in no more than a very slight discolouring of the skin or flesh under such bruises, and the maximum diameter of any bruise shall not exceed 20mm, provided that the total surface area of any bruise shall not be larger than 40mm.
  • That is virtually free from bitter pit lentil pitting, hail marks, sunburn, skin stains and physiological disorders, which cause the quality and appearance or the edibility of the fruit in question to decline.
  • That have a minimum diameter of:
  • 50mm for the cultivars Canvada, Drakenstein, Winter Banana, York, Imperial and Zoba;
  • 59mm for all other cultivars; and
  • That are sufficiently mature, as determined by taste, colour of pips the distinctness of lenticels, and the iodine test. (For the minimum requirement in the iodine test the core of an apple that has been cut shall remain white after such a cut piece is placed in a 1% iodine solution for one minute.)

1.2.Apples shall be packed in accordance with the customary sizes and counts.

1.3.Apples shall be packed in the prescribed containers in the prescribed

manner.

1.4.Deviations

  • Not more than 4% in the case of decay in respect of apples delivered from 1 January to 30 June and 6% in respect of apples delivered after this date.
  • Note more than 8% in the case of dry core rot, water core and core blush.
  • Not more than 15% for all quality defects, excluding uniformity and size in any one particular container, diameter and size group deviations, and maturity: provided that the limits in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) shall not be exceeded.
  • Not more than 15% for uniformity in the same container.
  • Not more than15% for the diameter and size group deviations.

ANNEXURE B

BANANAS

  1. BANANAS

1.1.General

  • Bananas shall be supplied in bunches and each individual fruit shall have no bruises, blemishes or diseases. All fruit in the same consignment shall be roughly the same size and maturity, the flesh shall be firm and sound and the fruit shall not be overripe or too green.
  • The mass or size of the individual bananas shall not be less than the following:
  • Size:100g or 180 mm in circumference
  • Medium:75g or 165 mm in circumference

1.2.Deviations

  • With regard to outward appearance and condition, the fruit may deviate not more than 10% from these requirements, but only 2% in the case of decay.

ANNEXURE C

CITRUS FRUIT

(ORANGES, GRAPEFRUIT, LEMONS, LIMES, NAARTJIES AND SOFT CITRUS)

  1. CITRUS FRUIT

Choice grade citrus fruit must consist of:

  • That is mature and of one commercial cultivar.
  • That is in a sound condition and practically free from bruises, cuts, blemishes and other defects or skin weakness of whatever nature, which may cause the fruit to decay.
  • That is well developed and has a fairly regular shape.
  • That is relatively free from scale insects, white mealy bugs or other pests, fungi or other diseases, cracks, visible hail marks or similar skin damage and is not unattractive in appearance.
  • That does not show damage by frost or is not dry when cut open (granulations),
  • That is not soft, old, excessively wilted or shriveled.
  • That does not show visible chemical residues, and
  • That dies not have the disease known as “greening disease”.
  1. Packing Oranges
  • Choice grade, large or medium in 9,5kg pockets or other containers as prescribed by the regulations.
  1. Packing Lemons and Limes
  • Choice grade, medium in 9,5kg pockets or other containers as prescribed by the regulations.
  1. Packing Grapefruit
  • Choice grade, large in 7,5kg pockets or other containers as prescribed by the regulations.
  1. Packing Naartjies and Soft Citrus
  • Choice grade and medium in containers as prescribed by the regulations.

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