BEIJING - More than 30 million students in rural China are now benefiting from a nutritional lunch program launched by the government, according to Vice Education Minister Lu Xin on Friday.

At a video conference on the program, which is aimed at rural compulsory students, Lu said the scheme covers more than one third of all the counties in China.

She added that over one fourth of rural students in compulsory education are benefiting from the program.

The scheme was launched in 2011 to improve nutrition condition of rural students, each of whom get a free lunch at school each day.

Lu urged education officials at all levels to strengthen food safety supervision in schools, calling for coordinated work with other departments.