Yunlin Launches Free School Lunches for Nearly 50,000 Students and Staff

Yunlin County has started providing free school lunches across its public elementary and junior high schools, extending the policy to nearly 50,000 students and staff at 186 schools.

The county government is financing the program from its own budget. It will cover ingredient costs, kitchen workers’ salaries and kitchen operating expenses, rather than limiting support to the meals themselves.

Education officials said the lunch budget will rise from about NT$41 per meal to NT$62. The higher amount is intended to improve nutrition and ease the pressure on smaller rural schools, where serving meals can cost more because fewer students attend.

Nutritionists will oversee the process from receiving ingredients and planning menus to cooking and serving. The county has set aside NT$1.06 billion for the second half of this year and next year, including funding to change kitchen workers’ pay from hourly wages to monthly salaries.

County Magistrate Chang Li-shan said the program would reduce household expenses while bringing more local agricultural products into schools. Officials also described lunchtime as an opportunity for students to learn where their food comes from and about Yunlin’s farming traditions.

“

Lunch can also become an important setting for food and agriculture education.