SATS bentos for Hwa Chong criticised; school says photos online don’t reflect food’s actual standards

SINGAPORE – Meals

provided by airline caterer SATS

for Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) students on the first day of school have sparked criticism, after images of the bento sets were posted online on Jan 3.

Comments left on the post on social media platform Reddit likened the bento meals to prison food and army cookhouse meals.

In response to queries, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) said it is aware of the concerns raised about its new canteen model. It said that the photograph circulating online does not accurately reflect the typical food offerings or portion standards provided.

But some students told The Straits Times the photos do actually capture the regular and premium pre-ordered bento meals, and they prefer the food sold at the live canteen stalls.

They said the bento meals are heavier in carbohydrates and blander, with one Secondary 2 student describing the vegetables as soggy.

Meals served by the appointed caterers have to follow the Health Promotion Board’s guidelines, such as excluding deep-fried items, and using wholegrain rice and Healthier Choice ingredients.

Another Secondary 2 student said the $4.80 premium meals taste good, unlike the regular meals which cost $3.60 and have smaller portions of meat.

“The old cai fan stall sold the same quality food at $3 to $4,” he said, referring to the economy rice stall.

Students said they prefer food from the live canteen stalls, but they would face long queues – a problem the pre-ordered bentos was supposed to ease.

The school now has four live stalls, selling yong tau foo, western food, drinks and Asian noodles.

There are also students who said the pre-ordered bentos are “edible” and not as bad as commenters are making them out to be, with good variety.

“Some days I have it because the queues are too long,” added one student.

Since Jan 2, the school has worked with SATS to run its high school and college canteens under a hybrid model that combines freshly cooked meals from on-site stalls with pre-packed options prepared daily in a central kitchen.

Under the new system, the institution’s 4,300 students and staff can pre-order bento sets through an app, as well as buy meals and desserts from stalls on campus offering options such as Indian fusion, Chinese cuisine and soft-serve yogurt. 

The new system was implemented in response to feedback from students about long recess queues, and to address the challenge the high school’s nine food stalls and one drink stall had faced in 2025 to keep prices affordable amid rising prices of ingredients as they operate independently.

“In view of sectorwide manpower constraints affecting school canteen operations, the hybrid model allows us to ensure students continue to have access to balanced, reasonably priced meals that meet their nutritional needs and dietary preferences,” said an HCI spokeswoman.

Students may pre-order bento meals designed by SATS’ certified nutritionists.

There are at least three regular options daily, priced at $3.60 each, or premium options priced at $4.80 each. HCI said the menu will be rotated regularly, and students will also have access to on-site stalls for additional variety and choice.

Ms Low Yen Yen, a Chinese language teacher at HCI’s secondary section, had bought the SATS bento sets for lunch on four days since school started on Jan 2.

She described the meals as “all right” and said she had no issues with their portion size or taste.

“I appreciate the healthy cooking. The taste is okay, it’s not yucky... I think maybe some boys prefer heavier flavours,” said Ms Low.

Referring to the photographs making it rounds online, she said portions may appear smaller when the image is captured top down, and when the bento items are removed from the box and plated, the meal looks different.

Ms Low added that while staff and students are still adjusting to the bento meal system, discussions about changing the canteen model had been going on for some time.

“We also understand that for the students, as well as my colleagues, it is a change. But most understand that the previous model wasn’t sustainable, so we are just trying to work together and make things acceptable and better for everyone as we go along,” she said.

While Ms Low expects to continue ordering bentos for convenience and to avoid queues, she still intends to patronise the canteen stalls occasionally for variety.

Before making the switch to the hybrid system, HCI consulted students, staff and parents through assemblies, meetings and food-tasting sessions.

SATS conducted a large food-tasting event in October 2024 for about 200 participants – students, teachers and parents – from both the high school and college.

The school also invited representatives from parent support groups and the High School Students’ Council on Jan 5 to sample the food and review the bento menus.

Some parents of children studying at HCI told ST they were initially concerned when they saw images of the bento meals, which looked “unappetising”.

But during the sampling session, they said the food looked better, especially when removed from the box and plated.

“Given that these are Healthier Choice meals, it is understandable that they may be less flavourful than dishes laden with salt, oil, or MSG,” said Mrs Yeo, who has two sons studying in HCI’s secondary section.

She added that she would encourage students to remain open-minded and give this new system a chance to succeed, as a fair trial period is necessary.

“With eight different choices daily across a four-week rotation, there is a significant amount of variety to explore. It will take a few cycles for students to identify their preferences and for the system to settle,” she said.

Madam Hazel Chong, 50, the chairperson of the parent support group in HCI’s college section, said it is unfair to judge the entire meal based on one photograph, taken of one meal on the first day students try this new system.

Apart from closely monitoring its canteen operations – including food quality, portion sizes and students’ dining experiences – the school is in the process of establishing a canteen review committee.

It will comprise staff, student and parent representatives, working in partnership with SATS. The committee will meet regularly to review key aspects of the canteen operations and provide feedback for ongoing improvements.

HCI’s spokeswoman said: “HCI remains committed to ensuring our canteen meets students’ needs and encourages parents and students to share their feedback directly with the school and SATS, so that we can consider the feedback as we continue to refine our new canteen model.”

SATS has also been catering for Yusof Ishak Secondary School since 2022, a pilot which the Education Ministry said led to the expansion of the central kitchen model to more schools in 2026.