PSP's Stephanie Tan reiterates call for central kitchen within schools, cites examples of Japan and Sweden
People Progress Party's (PSP) Stephanie Tan has reiterated her party's call for central kitchens based in individual schools, following recent incidents concerning food quality and hygiene.
In a statement posted on Jan 16, Ms Tan said she was "deeply concerned" by the suspected food poisoning case affecting 60 River Valley Primary School students.
Students from the school experienced symptoms of gastroenteritis after eating lunch prepared by the school's central kitchen meal model operator.
"Food safety now adds to the growing list of concerns about the new central kitchen meal model," Ms Tan wrote in her statement. She cited students' dissatisfaction with the quality and taste of bentos as well as "compromises in freshness and food quality" of meals prepared at off-site industrial facilities.
Tan previously contested for Pioneer SMC in the 2025 General Election.
Fresh food while balancing economies of scale
Ms Tan also referred to a PSP newsletter published in October 2025, which proposed that schools operate a central kitchen run by their canteen vendors. She added that such a system is similar to those adopted in countries such as Japan and Sweden.
This approach would ensure every student receives a "high-quality, standard meal" regardless of family income while ensuring better economies of scale for hawkers.
Smaller-scale kitchens would also reduce the risk of larger food-borne illnesses, the newsletter added.
"Our school canteen 'uncles' and 'aunties' represent a human touch that will be sorely missed by students transitioning to the central kitchen model," Ms Tan said in her post.
In addition, Ms Tan pointed out that school canteens provide "precious holistic developmental experiences", such as exposing students to a variety of local dishes and teaching them how to purchase food and manage their expenses.
Netizens split on effectiveness of PSP proposal
Many netizens likened PSP's proposal to a cookhouse system and suggested that remaining canteen tenants could be reassigned to prepare food in a central kitchen with a fixed monthly income.
"Reduce food poisoning cases, more jobs for ex-canteen store owner and peace of mind for parents," one Redditor commented.
Some users, however, disagreed that the central kitchen system adopted by Japanese schools would work in Singapore.
"The problem is that we don't have a homogeneous population," another Redditor said. "That's why we are used to school canteens, hawker centres and food courts where people with different dietary requirements, cultural preferences, or just different moods can choose different options."
