SINGAPORE: What does it take to prepare meals that appeal to primary school students? According to a caterer managing several school canteens from January next year, even the colour of vegetables matters.
“We think about what type of vegetables to use. Actually, a lot of kids don’t have fancy tastes, in fact, familiarity is comfort,” said Mr Desmond Chin, managing director of caterer Gourmetz.
“So we tend to go towards broccoli, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables like spinach, that’s about it. We wouldn’t give them fancy things like asparagus.”
From January next year, 13 schools across Singapore will roll out a central kitchen model at their canteens. The initiative builds on a 2022 pilot at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, which is managed by caterer SATS.
Gourmetz will operate five of the 13 school canteens adopting this new model – Blangah Rise Primary, CHIJ Kellock, Radin Mas Primary, River Valley Primary and Outram Secondary at its York Hill campus until it closes in 2027.
Chang Cheng Mee Wah will run canteens in Dazhong Primary, Kranji Primary, Pioneer Primary, Qifa Primary and West View Primary, while Wilmar Distribution will run the ones at Casuarina Primary, Chongzheng Primary, Northoaks Primary and Outram Secondary’s new Anchorvale Crescent campus.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said that while most schools currently have enough canteen stalls, some are finding it increasingly difficult to attract stallholders to fill vacant ones, even with low rentals.
“Schools also face competition for stallholders from food courts, hawker centres and other public eating houses, which serve a greater customer base,” it said.
The Yusof Ishak pilot had “favourable” outcomes, MOE said, adding that the 13 schools chose to adopt the central kitchen model as stallholders retired and vacant stalls remained unfilled.
Existing stallholders may be referred to other schools or recommended to central kitchen operators for employment.
While the central kitchen model ensures access to healthy and affordable meals, the traditional model with individual stallholders remains the default for most schools.
