EDITORIAL: Free lunch policy needs an overhaul

Soon after school started this month, a series of suspected food poisoning incidents involving school lunches were reported in Taipei, once again stirring concerns among students and parents about the quality and safety of free meals.

Eighty-seven students from Chengyuan High School’s junior-high division reported diarrhea and other food poisoning symptoms after eating school lunches on Sept. 7, and some received emergency medical treatment that evening.

The Taipei Department of Health said it received a report the following day and sent inspectors to investigate and collect samples. It also ordered that the lunch service be suspended. Five hygiene deficiencies were found during the on-site inspection.

Test results released by the department on Sept. 18 confirmed that Staphylococcal enterotoxin B — a toxin known for causing severe food poisoning — was found.

In the same week, the Affiliated Dali High School of the University of Taipei reported that more than 10 students experienced gastrointestinal discomfort after eating school lunches on Sept. 10. Those meals were provided by the same caterer as the Chengyuan incident.

The case is still being investigated.

The health department on Sept. 14 said it also sent inspectors to Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls’ High School after three students felt sick shortly after eating fishcake tempura from the school’s cafeteria. One of the students was later diagnosed with peritonitis and hospitalized, but whether it was the result of food poisoning was not determined.

A city councilor on Wednesday last week said some Taipei Municipal Jinhua Junior High School students reportedly vomited and had diarrhea after eating school lunches on Sept. 4.

The city’s education department denied it was a food poisoning incident, saying that only three students felt ill and they all had different symptoms, adding that samples had been disposed of and could not be tested.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) in January announced that the city would provide free school lunches to all elementary and junior-high schools starting this month, prompting several other local governments to follow the policy.

When he made the announcement, parent groups expressed concerns that uniform pricing would lead to parents being unable to decide what is on the menu, and that without subsidies for lunches that meet the government’s “Three Labels and One QR Code” (3L1Q) standards, lunch providers might start using cheaper ingredients with poorer quality and less supervision.

However, they probably did not expect so many suspected food poisoning incidents the same month the program began. Some parents are beginning to question the program and wonder if the phrase “there is no such thing as a free [school] lunch” holds true.

The city government has terminated several contracts of the caterer responsible for the Chengyuan High School incident and fined it NT$180,000. The school was also ordered to set up a single point of contact to help affected students and faculty apply for compensation.

However, some city councilors and parents are asking the city government to explain how the food became contaminated and how it plans to prevent similar incidents. Others also requested the creation of transparent and uniform standards in handling school lunch food poisoning incidents, from service suspension to sampling and testing, as well as criteria for resuming service.

Local media had reported that public health specialists urged the city’s education department not to prematurely rule out food poisoning before completing comprehensive investigations, saying that such cases are highly time-sensitive and sample collection should not be delayed. They also called for standardized early warning mechanisms and the establishment of investigation procedures and tools.

Some people have proposed allowing parents associations at schools to decide if they want to pay out of pocket to “upgrade” the quality of their lunches and choose caterers they trust, as city government funding limits flexibility.

Others are concerned that the lack of options in the free lunch program would result in more food waste, and with a nationwide ban on feeding food waste to pigs taking effect on Jan. 1 next year, caterers might cut cost on food ingredients and preparation.

Most parents care more about the nutrition and safety of food their children consume at school than receiving universal “free” lunch, and that the Ministry of Education had funded school lunches for more than 167,000 students (about 9.4 percent of all students) from economically disadvantaged families.

The free school lunch policy was well-intentioned, but if it is not well thought out and lacks the necessary supplementary measures, it might cause more problems and even risk students’ health. The Taipei City Government must address these issues.