What School Lunches Look Like In 20 Countries Around The World

[drmjg]

121. A little clarity on Singapore....

It depends which school type (branded [Private or "select public"] or neighborhood) and the type of service. Almost all schools contract out to outside vendors and, in many schools now, they are run much as the fast food places the kids go to after school. Rice is often cooked with high sugar content coconut milk. Singaporeans also inundate much of their food with salt and many of the vegetables are so overcooked that very little nutritional value may remain. Sure the portions are good sized and inexpensive. Fresh fruit is available, but drinks are mainly sugared teas and sugared yoghurt. As a result, obesity is a real problem in many neighborhood schools. Add to the lessening of PE due to a "got to pass the test" mentality that is ripe in the system and there is also a rise in diabetes at an earlier age. (I currently teach in a very typical secondary school in Singapore and have not seen a great variation in the many schools I have visited over the years.)