Taoyuan school wins top prize for healthy, local-ingredient lunch dish

Taoyuan City's "Lunch with Local Ingredients, Calcium for Health - Campus Michelin Food Competition" has concluded, with Ruìtáng Elementary School taking home the top "Michelin Gold Quality Award" for its "Little Fish Fragrant Rice" dish. The competition, which aimed to promote the use of high-calcium local ingredients in school lunches, saw 48 schools participate, with 12 finalists advancing to the practical cooking round.

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School lunch is an important memory for students' growth. Taoyuan has abundant agricultural resources, and many local, seasonal ingredients can be incorporated into the menu.

The winning dish from Ruìtáng Elementary School featured a high-calcium nutritional design. The main course, "Little Fish Fragrant Rice," combined local Taoyuan rice, whitebait, sesame, and seaweed in a Japanese onigiri style. It was served with colorful chicken cubes, shrimp and tofu, corn and egg drop soup, and organic vegetables, focusing on both taste and increased calcium intake.

Mayor Chang Shan-cheng, present at the awards ceremony, expressed gratitude to the nutritionists and kitchen staff for their dedication to improving school lunch quality. Taoyuan has been a pioneer in implementing free nutritional lunches among the six major Taiwanese cities. The city government's cross-departmental collaboration ensures food safety, the use of local ingredients, and menu innovation. The mayor highlighted that school lunches are a significant part of students' formative memories and that Taoyuan's rich agricultural resources allow for diverse menus featuring local, seasonal produce.

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The city government is continuously adjusting subsidy funding in response to price fluctuations and places great importance on meal quality and student satisfaction, hoping children can eat healthily, safely, and happily.

In addition to the main awards, a "Student Online Voice" poll allowed students to vote for their favorite dishes. Renhe Elementary School won the "Michelin Popularity King Award" with 3,401 votes. The competition not only recognized culinary excellence but also encouraged schools to refine their menu design, ingredient utilization, and cooking techniques, ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of the students.

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This competition, themed around local ingredients and high calcium nutrition, promotes menu design, ingredient use, and cooking techniques through inter-school exchange and competition.