(From left) Kranji Primary School pupils Brent Go, Quek Ik Tse and Simhan Sivakumar trying bento sets by Chang Cheng Holdings, which will be catering for the school from January 2026. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: Primary 2 pupil Brent Go surprised himself when he finished all the vegetables in his sweet and sour chicken bento.
“Even the carrots taste wonderful. Because of the sauce, it makes me want to eat the veggies,” said the Kranji Primary School pupil.
Brent on Sept 24 tried a bento set by Chang Cheng Holdings, which will be catering for his school from 2026.
Amid a shortage of school canteen stall operators, 13 schools – mainly primary schools – will be switching to a central kitchen model in January 2026, where a single operator manages their canteens.
The initiative builds on a 2022 pilot at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, which is managed by caterer Sats.
Chang Cheng Holdings, which owns the Chang Cheng Mee Wah coffee shop chain, will operate five of the 13 school canteens.
The other two appointed caterers are Gourmetz and Wilmar.
MOE sets guidelines for food prices in schools. The three caterers will charge between S$1.80 and less than S$4 for their food.
At Chang Cheng Holdings, meals are cooked six hours before they are delivered to the schools, and kept warm for the entire duration. - Photo: ST
Chang Cheng and Gourmetz will be serving only meals pre-ordered by pupils and parents on their respective platforms.
Wilmar will operate a live station stall in each of the four schools it serves, but it expects pre-packed meals to make up a large portion of its school meal supply, especially for lower-primary pupils whose parents may prefer greater control over their children’s meal plans.
“On-site cooking ensures we have the flexibility to adjust according to demand,” said Wilmar.
Meals served by the appointed caterers have to follow Health Promotion Board guidelines, such as excluding deep-fried items, and using wholegrain rice and healthier-choice ingredients.
All pre-ordered bentos prepared for the 13 schools will have a portion of wholegrains, vegetables, proteins and fruit.
Chang Cheng Holdings chief operating officer Haw Kian Siong said a dietitian will work with its chefs to find ways to make vegetables appealing to children, for instance, by including colourful vegetables or dressing them in a tasty sauce.
For Chang Cheng, parents can choose from 13 meal choices for their children each day, including nine halal and three vegetarian options. The menu will change weekly and rotate monthly.
This appeals to Primary 5 pupil Emma Rose Muhamad Fyruz, who said her only lunch option now is Maggi goreng from Kranji Primary’s Muslim food stall.
Her options in 2026 will include fishball beehoon soup, spaghetti chicken bolognese, sweet and sour chicken with rice, baked chicken tikka rice, teriyaki braised chicken with rice, and Japanese curry chicken rice.
Orders have to be placed via Chang Cheng’s AmiApp 18 hours in advance.
Meals are cooked six hours before they are delivered to the schools, and kept warm for the entire duration.
Pupils may retrieve their pre-ordered meals from individual food lockers in the school by tapping on the terminals with their ez-link cards.
For those who forget to pre-order, extra bentos, snacks and dim sum are available at a drinks stall in the school that Chang Cheng will also operate. A vending machine also offers food after the drinks stall closes.
For Chang Cheng Holdings, parents can choose from 13 meal choices for their children each day. The menu will change weekly, and rotate monthly. - Photo: ST
Gourmetz’s menu features five or six mains daily, comprising a mix of local and international cuisine, and the menu is changed every term.
Some meal options are steamed chicken mixed rice, mushroom macaroni with grilled chicken breast and broccoli, stir-fried noodles with sauteed bok choy, and pan-fried fish.
Orders can be placed and paid for on the GOe Meals web portal up to three months in advance, or before noon, one working day prior.
Gourmetz will also prepare extra meals every day to cater for those who forget to pre-order, said its managing director Desmond Chin.
The third caterer, Wilmar, said five menu options will be up for pre-order each day. Menus will be uploaded at least two weeks in advance, and orders have to be placed at least three days in advance on its designated platform.
For its live station stall in schools, options such as economy rice will be permanent, while other options will rotate across cuisines. Pricing will be similar to that of the pre-ordered bento meals.
By producing food through a central kitchen, Wilmar can ensure consistency, reliability and scalability while keeping everyday meals nutritious and affordable, the firm said.
Kranji Primary’s pupils have given the thumbs-up to Chang Cheng’s food.
Apart from Brent, who called the food “splendid” and “amazingly healthy”, Primary 4 pupil Quek Ik Tse said: “This is the first time I ate so much.” - The Straits Times/ANN
