New School Year Brings Five Upgrades to School Lunches in Taiwan’s Hsinchu County

Students in Hsinchu County are starting the new school year with higher school lunch funding and more frequent servings of locally sourced ingredients. The county government has launched five upgrades for meals in elementary and junior high schools.

Funding will rise by NT$10 per meal. Junior high students will receive meals budgeted at NT$73, while elementary students will receive NT$70. Rural schools will receive NT$77 per junior high student and NT$74 per elementary student. The annual lunch budget will increase from NT$560 million to NT$680 million.

The changes also expand the use of local organic food. Organic rice will be served three times a week instead of twice, while organic vegetables will appear four times a week instead of three. Beginning this semester, schools will provide certified fresh eggs at least once a month and serve local specialty ingredients at least 10 times each school year.

Education Bureau Director Tsai Shu-chen said the measures aim to improve meal quality through both higher funding and stronger ingredient standards. The county also plans broader education initiatives, including new school buildings, expanded early-childhood and special-education services, and a five-year NT$120 million program focused on rural schools. The wider package includes smaller classes, additional teachers for small schools and efforts to increase priority admission places at public senior high schools.