WP to raise questions on central kitchen model, school gastroenteritis outbreaks

SINGAPORE: On Sunday (February 1), the Workers’ Party said in a Facebook post that its Members of Parliament will be raising questions regarding the central kitchen model that some schools have recently adopted, as well as the news of outbreaks of gastroenteritis in some schools.

The next Parliament sittings are on February 3 and 4.

The questions from Sengkang GRC MPs Louis Chua and Jamus Lim, Aljunied GRC MPs Fadli Fawzi and Kenneth Tiong, as well as Non-constituency Member of Parliament Eileen Chong appear to revolve around prioritizing efficiency over food safety.

A total of 13 schools so far have adopted the central kitchen meal model that replaces the traditional canteen-type model, which came about as schools struggled to find individual stallholders for their canteens.

The WP drew attention to the gastroenteritis outbreak at River Valley Primary School, which affected 60 students on January 14.

However, it also cited the outbreak at North View Primary School at around the same time, which affected 147 students. While this particular school does not use the central kitchen model, the WP said the outbreak “highlights the speed at which gastro can spread through a student population.”

Additionally, the party noted that in February of last year, 187 people fell ill with gastroenteritis after consuming Ready-to-Eat meals across 91 schools as part of a Singapore-wide exercise. In November, a food supplier was shown to be linked to 263 cases in six pre-schools.

The WP expressed concern over “efficiency” being held as more important than safety, adding that if a lapse occurs in a traditional canteen set-up, the harm is contained to one school.

“Centralised kitchens spread that same lapse across entire districts,” the WP said in a post. “As seen in Feb 2025, one error can hit 90 schools at once, making it nearly impossible for authorities to react before the damage is done. By concentrating production into ‘hubs’ to solve manpower shortages, a single point of failure is created. One mistake is no longer a local issue.”

The WP MPs will ask whether the River Valley Primary school cases were connected to the food served under the central kitchen model, as well as the penalties given the provider to ensure accountability.

They will also ask regarding the timeframe for informing parents regarding outbreaks, and if the Ministry of Education (MOE) will limit the number of schools that a single central kitchen can supply to spread the risk.

Another question involves whether or not centralised kitchens are just as safe as on-site preparation and if the MOE will, like Japan, adopt “three-zone” hygiene standards and publish food safety audit results for all operators.

Finally, they will ask how many more schools the government expects will adopt the new model by 2030, as well as the support measures it plans to help individual stallholders stay in business. /TISG

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