As the issue of 'poor school meals' arises in Japanese school lunches, the Education Committee of Japan has come under fire for explaining a controversial photo by saying, "It's because the bowl is large."
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 12th, a lunch photo from an elementary school in Fukuoka City has recently sparked controversy on Japanese social media (SNS). The lunch menu shown in the photo consisted of rice, miso soup, and 'one piece of fried chicken' as the only side dish. Japanese netizens who saw the photo raised concerns, saying, "It's too poor," and "It's an inadequate diet for growing children."
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Fukuoka City Education Committee responded to the problematic school meal by stating, "The necessary nutrition is secured" and that "the bowl was large, so the fried chicken appeared relatively small, and we should have considered the appearance."
Recently, there are analyses suggesting that rising prices in Japan have led to increased costs for materials and supplies in school lunches, contributing to poor meal quality. According to the Fukuoka City Education Committee, the cost per meal per person this year is 289.47 yen (approximately 2,700 won), which is about a 20% increase compared to 243.15 yen (approximately 2,300 won) a decade ago in 2015.
In contrast, the fees collected from parents for school lunches have reportedly remained frozen for a decade, at 4,200 yen (approximately 40,000 won) per month for elementary schools and 5,000 yen (approximately 47,000 won) per month for middle schools.