Kids Explore Food Options Amid Lunchbox Suspension

Some students on Monday said they are excited about not having to eat their usual lunchboxes, after their meal supplier suspended its service for two days amid a food poisoning scare.

Luncheon Star, a subsidiary of fast food chain Café de Coral, announced last week that it would not provide lunchboxes to more than 200 schools on Monday and Tuesday, while it thoroughly cleans its production lines.

A primary six student, surnamed Ho, said his school in Tin Shui Wai has allowed older primary students to leave the campus for lunch.

While some of his classmates opted for fast food, he said he took the rare opportunity to get pizza.

"I'm so excited and happy... The school lunch tastes so bad, even if the food outside is just average, it's still better," Ho said.

His sentiment was echoed by another pupil, who said: “after tomorrow, I'll have to eat the lunch boxes again. I'm a bit unhappy.”

Most parents, however, weren't so thrilled.

"Other schools using the same provider are reporting cold, hard food that is not well-cooked. There are even cases of hospitalisation. I'm worried. We'll see if the school can choose some good food providers," one mother said.

Others, meanwhile, were worried that the suspension would last longer than two days.

"One to two days is alright. But long-time suspension is not acceptable. It's a huge [lunch box] provider," one mother surnamed Chan said.

A grandmother of two also told RTHK that she found the situation hard to manage.

"Once I get them to school, I'll have to get home to make them [lunch] and deliver those to school. Then, at around two, I'll have to come to pick them up after school," she said.