School Meal Safety Standards and Continuity Measures with Implementation of Centralised Kitchen Model

Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Education (a) how will the Ministry ensure compliance with food safety standards given that schools will be switching to a central kitchen meal model from January 2026; (b) whether frequency and scope of inspections will be enhanced for these kitchens; and (c) what measures will ensure rapid response and meal continuity in case of food safety incidents.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Ministry of Education's (MOE's) appointed operators for the central kitchen meal model are expected to comply with the Singapore Food Agency's (SFA's) food safety requirements. These operators must ensure that the food is prepared by certified food handlers and put in place temperature-controlled transport and storage conditions. In addition, they must implement accurate food labelling with time-stamps and appoint Food Hygiene Officers to oversee and implement food safety measures.

Beyond regulatory requirements, schools will continue to remind students about personal hygiene, including proper handwashing before meals.

SFA adopts a risk-based inspection approach where food premises of higher regulatory concern are subjected to targeted and stepped-up surveillance. These include central kitchens, due to their high volumes of food preparation for consumption by large numbers of people.

The three central kitchen operators are also required to maintain comprehensive contingency plans for supply disruptions that are due to food safety or other reasons. These include rapid notification protocols to schools and authorities and backup meal arrangements through the operators' other licensed central kitchens. In addition, MOE monitors student health closely and will promptly notify the Ministry of Health and SFA if there are indications of possible food poisoning incidents.