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Fukuoka to rework school lunches after online criticism
X (formerly Twitter) users widely criticized this school lunch served at an elementary school in Fukuoka. (Provided by the education board of Fukuoka)
FUKUOKA—The education board here is working to boost the quality of school lunches after drawing harsh judgments from Japanese netizens on X (formerly Twitter) who tore into a photo of a meal.
"The portion size is too small" and "it looks sad" were among the responses to what was served at a Fukuoka elementary school. The lunch's main component was a single piece of "karaage" fried chicken dwarfed by a disproportionately larger plate.
The condemned lunch cost about 290 yen ($2) and although it met the city's financial and nutritional standards, the education board is launching a project led by food education experts.
BUDGETING FOR INFLATION
'I was shocked and felt sad,' Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima said regarding the lunch in question at the city assembly's plenary session on June 11.
He then voiced his resolve to allocate the budget necessary for ensuring meal quality at schools.
'I heard that a dietician worked hard to come up with the menu, but there's still room for improvement in terms of food education, such as presentation and tableware that looks visually enticing.'
Public schools typically release a monthly menu of upcoming lunches that list what will be in each day's meal and the total number of calories.
The board of education's intended project with food experts will call for ideas on improving the appearance of lunches as well as how to promote local food production and consumption.
According to the website of Public Interest Fukuoka City School Lunch Corp., the lunch that was criticized was served in April.
In its entirety, it consisted of a bowl of rice mixed with barley, a piece of karaage and spring cabbage miso soup along with a carton of milk. The total calorie count was 620 kilocalories per serving, meeting the city's nutritional requirements.
Each piece of karaage weighed 60 grams, contained 155 kilocalories and was twice the size of a standard piece.
Those responsible for creating menus, cooking and serving school lunches are tasked with experimenting and problem-solving in the face of rising food costs.
The city's school lunch budget is split into 289.47 yen per serving. Of that, 243.15 yen is covered by students' households.
The workers, including dietitians, consistently fear budget shortfalls at the end of every fiscal year.
Their solution is to curb costs at the beginning of a fiscal year, often resulting in meals seeming less generous. If they can secure a sufficient budget, the meals quality increases toward the end of the fiscal year.
Even Fukuoka, one of the most financially powerful cities in the Kyushu region, is struggling to cope with inflation.
Faced with increasing costs, one elementary school in the city is adjusting its recipes by using different cuts of meat and reducing the amount of expensive green onions and parsley used by a gram.
When interviewed by The Asahi Shimbun, a board of education official said that although the school serving a solitary piece of karaage wasn't the result of rising costs, there needs to be more consideration for meal presentation so that it would look more appealing.
The city has budgeted for soaring food prices since fiscal 2022. It has since tripled its budget to about 1.2 billion yen for fiscal 2025.
Municipal elementary and junior high schools will start serving lunch for free this summer.
EYES DO THE EATING
"Not only is nutrition important, presentation is as well to make meals more enjoyable," said Michiko Omura, a professor at Kyushu Nutrition Welfare University, who specializes in public health nutrition.
She elaborated that having happy dining experiences during childhood combined with effective strategies encouraging a child to eat can positively influence their futures.
'Food education also includes plating and color coordination of what's served,' she said.
Omura also believes that coping with inflation and short-staffed school kitchens calls for greater assistance. "The central government should provide as much financial assistance as possible for children," she said.
(This article was written by Yuta Torio and Mayumi Jo.)
