Rising food prices continue to impact school lunches significantly, according to an FNN investigation. In Oita City, a local school has had to replace broccoli with parsley due to cost constraints. Broccoli, costing around 5000 yen, was swapped for parsley, which is under 1000 yen, requiring adjustments to maintain nutritional value.
Almost all municipalities in Oita Prefecture have raised school lunch fees, prompting schools to make creative changes. For example, beef in dishes like meat and potatoes has been switched to pork. Schools emphasize the importance of maintaining enjoyable meals for health and educational purposes.
To cope with rising costs, some places reduce processed foods and make items like omelets and desserts from scratch. Others substitute minced meat with soy meat. Additionally, some schools have cut dessert frequency and started using imported ingredients instead of domestic ones.
In Mori Chuo Elementary, despite not raising lunch fees, funding from the government compensates for the cost increases to maintain food quality. High costs affecting children’s meals are becoming a significant topic in the upcoming election.
by MagazineKey4532