Delicious School Lunch with Smiles

Delicious School Lunch with Smiles

Rediscover the Appealing Points of Soka

New Series Started

A new series is started to introduce the appealing points and characteristics of Soka, under the theme of "Rediscover the Appealing Points of Soka." This issue introduces school lunch loved by children of Soka.
What was your favorite menu in your school days?

Four Attractiveness of Soka School Lunch

(1)Cooked at School and Fresh from Kitchen

School lunch is cooked at school in all the elementary and junior high schools in Soka City (32 schools in all) since 1980.
Students are enjoying fresh and warm school lunch.

Soka is the only municipality among the five cities and one town(*) to cook school lunch at school.

* Soka City, Koshigaya City, Yashio City, Misato City, Yoshikawa City and Matsubushi Town

(2)School Lunch Fee Remains the Same

All the school lunch fee borne by the parents is used for ingredients, the price being 4,300 yen/month for elementary schools and 5,100 yen/month for junior high schools.
In response to the price rise of foods, Soka City has been subsidizing food fee since the fiscal year 2022 so as to maintain the quality and the quantity with the same school lunch fee.

The power of citizens is supporting the smiles of children.

(3)Carefully Planned Menu

How is the menu planned ?

Iinterviewed a nutritionist.

The nutritionists of schools plan the menu per semester, have several meetings with the teachers in charge of school lunch to finalize the menu at each school two months in advance.
Local foods and seasonal foods are used in the menu, with some festive foods and local foods.

What are the characteristic menu of Soka ?

The characteristic menu of Soka is Senbei.
We buy dough for Senbei at Senbei stores in Soka City, bake it in the oven in the school lunch cooking room, flavoring with soy sauce.

Tableware has the design of "Soka Matsubara," a symbol of Soka, adding some beauty to school lunch.

Efforts of Nutritionists

• Takasago Elementary School won an award for excellence at the 16th Zenkoku Gakko Kyushoku Koshien(R) (All Japan School Lunch Contest) (Fiscal year 2021)
• Hanaguri Junior High School won an award of superintendent of education of Saitama Prefecture and Saitama City at the School Lunch Cooking Contest 2021 (Fiscal year 2021)
• Hanaguri Junior High School won an award of Secretary-general of the Consumer Affairs Agency to promote the reduction of food loss about the reduction of food loss utilizing school lunch (Fiscal year 2022)

(4)Serving Safe and Secure School Lunch

Sanitary management is performed thoroughly so that students can eat delicious school lunch fresh from kitchen with peace of mind.

Almost all menu are cooked, including jiaozi, steamed bread and jelly.

Japanese stock is made of dried bonito shavings, and soup is made of pork and chicken bones.

All the foods are cooked with heat to prevent food poisoning, except fruit and cherry tomatoes.

Caps cover ears so that hairs do not mingle into foods.
Aprons and gloves are changed, depending on the process of cooking.
Special shoes are worn in the school lunch cooking room.

Inquiry

Gakumu-ka (Educational Affairs Section)
Tel.(048) 922-2685
FAX(048) 928-1178