But the controversy misses the bigger point: it’s a fact that the school canteen model is falling apart, and central kitchens are a way to adapt. Rather than debating whether Singapore’s schools should adopt central kitchens, the more pressing question now is: how can it be done better? In Japan, central kitchens and industrialised food production for school lunches expanded rapidly during the post-war high-growth era (mid-1950s to mid-1980s). Inside a kyushoku centre, Japanese central kitchens that prepare meals for schools across the country./ Image Credit: Food Insider via YouTubeBut today, central kitchens are widely used in Japanese schools, especially in municipalities where a single facility serves multiple schools. Even within a central kitchen system, schools in Singapore could mitigate the social and engagement gaps created by central kitchens by involving students in meal distribution or portioning, making large-scale operations feel less impersonal.