Recent inflation has set off a rare "price hike" in Japan, with many schools struggling to control meal costs.
Reuters reported on the 6th that Kazumi Sato, a nutritionist at a middle school in Tokyo, said that the price of ingredients continued to rise sharply, and she must constantly adjust the recipe for school lunches to avoid budget overruns.
"I try to offer seasonal fruit once or twice a month, but it's hard to do." Recently, she has replaced expensive fruit with jelly or petit fours, and used inexpensive sprouts as a substitute for other ingredients whenever possible.
But she said there was nothing she could do if food prices continued to rise.
As part of the relief measures, the Japanese government said in April it would provide funds to help schools cope with soaring food costs.
But Sato worries about further increases in energy and food prices in the future, especially as the school year draws to a close and the government's allocation of funds is running out.
"This year's rainy season ended early, which may have a great impact on vegetables," Sato said. "I'm very worried about the price of vegetables after autumn."
(Chen Yahan)