Evaluation Criteria for Central Kitchen Pilot Project for Schools and Priorities behind Expansion to More Schools

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Education (a) what were the criteria used to evaluate the effectiveness of the central kitchen pilot at Yusof Ishak Secondary School; and (b) what were the key priorities behind the decision to expand the operating model to 13 schools commencing from January 2026.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Central Kitchen Meal Model (CKMM) was piloted at Yusof Ishak Secondary School from 2022. The school had just moved into its new campus and did not have existing canteen stallholders.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) had assessed the pilot on four key criteria – operational efficiency, food quality, cost-effectiveness and student satisfaction. The pilot demonstrated that this model could streamline meal preparation and distribution while meeting nutritional standards and food safety guidelines.

The Individual Stallholder System remains MOE's primary and predominant operating model for school canteens, and MOE will continue to support schools and stallholders to operate this model. The CKMM serves as an alternative solution for schools facing challenges in finding enough stallholders for their canteens. This was the basis that the model was expanded to 13 more schools in January 2026. The aim was to allow students in these schools to continue to have access to healthy and affordable meals.