0:01 You're not eating. Isn't it good? >> Uh, it's not good. >> Wow. You're not going to eat all this? Aren't you going to be hungry this afternoon? H, there are a lot of fish balls inside, but they don't taste good. >> Fish balls are good. >> Oh, the fish balls are good. In a hallway of an elementary school in mainland China, several students threw away their lunch. The teacher had distributed it, but the children found it too hard to eat. >> There are bugs in the meat grinder in the cafeteria. It's disgusting. The school asked us, the parents, to visit. One second grade parent saw live maggots in the meat grinder. Afterwards, the school invited the parents who saw this to a meeting. They said they'd arrange health checks for students, install cameras in the cafeteria, and ensure no blind spots. They also asked parents not to post about it on Doí or WeChat moments.
0:50 You don't even spare the kids. Do you have any conscience left? Families, watch the video first. this tofu from the school cafeteria. Tell me, does this tofu look normal? It just doesn't seem right. Can you actually eat this? >> In 2025, there were repeated controversies over prepackaged meals, restaurant mishaps, and poor quality dishes. What's even more heartbreaking is that young students are speaking out in protest. During a public school meeting, a first grade boy accused the principal of the cafeteria's unsanitary conditions. The dish had bugs. The teacher tried to explain that it was just black pepper, but the boy insisted that the black spots were bugs with legs crawling around. He described ants and other insects inside. The principal interrupted, praising the boy for being brave and promising that if the
1:36 cafeteria staff doesn't do well, they'll be severely criticized. He encouraged the boy to keep speaking up, but the boy saw through this and retorted, "I said, don't change the subject." The parents in the room applauded. The boy kept speaking, describing the food as watery soup, almost like plain water. The vegetables tasted like poop, and the meat was almost unrecognizable. He insisted, "You eat it yourself and experience it." But the principal responded by avoiding the issue, even saying, "A meeting won't change the situation of student meals." Someone in the room immediately responded, "If it can't be changed, why bother having a meeting?" Many netzens said that this child spoke the words that many parents were too afraid to say. He hadn't just heard about the food, he had eaten it, and that's why he spoke out. Other
2:21 netzens posted pictures of their children's school lunch. The oil and seasoning were separated into two layers, looking murky and dirty, like gutter oil. The meat chunks in the vegetables had a strange color and texture, making people suspect that they were lymph or scraps like sllo meat. The entire meal was greasy and disgusting. Just one glance made people feel nauseous. In another video, a parent visited the school to check on the student's lunch. While there were no obvious hygiene issues, the food looked too watery and plain. It had little meat and vegetables, and the portions were small. After the parent posted the footage on social media, the school quickly contacted them and asked them to delete the video. But this only made more parents suspicious. If nothing was wrong, why rush to take it down? Something must be going on behind the
3:06 scenes. This is the meal our elementary school cafeteria gives to kids. Just one dish. Take a look. >> The second round of kids didn't get any vegetables because there wasn't enough. What's even worse is that one staff member took food already thrown away in the garbage bin, poured it back into the big bowl, and casually picked through it before serving it again. After the kids put the food on their trays, they saw potatoes and seaweed with bite marks on them and scattered grains of rice mixed in. It made them sick. It's important to note that after footage of a Taiwanese legislative inquiry into nutritious school lunches was leaked, many parents in China felt disillusioned by the stark contrast. In the video, a female legislator first praised the overall
3:51 improvement in the quality of nutritious lunches, emphasizing that every legislator is pushing for better quality and suggesting that lunches should eventually be universally free. However, the focus quickly shifted to the details of the meals, how the children should eat the fruit. The fruit on the trays was often simply placed whole. Guava on the bottom corner, pomelo on the top right, and passion fruit. Apples and guavas scattered across the tray. She immediately turned to the Minister of Education and said, "Put yourself in the children's shoes." Handing him the fruit and asking, "If you were a child, which one would you choose?" The minister initially tried to avoid the situation and suggested changing the fruit, but the legislator insisted that he demonstrate how to eat it. She reminded him that children have limited time for
4:36 lunch. The director replied, "There are no knives to eat the fruit." To which the legislator responded, "What about elementary school students? They don't have knives either, so the fruit should be prepared before it's handed out to them." She handed him a napkin, stressing that she wasn't trying to make it difficult, but wanted him to experience the reality of the situation. She continued questioning him about the details. How do you peel passion fruit? Most elementary school students don't have spoons. If they lose one or don't bring it, how can they scoop it out and eat it? Elementary school lunch breaks from lining up for food to eating the meal and even having fruit usually last only 25 to 30 minutes, less than half an hour. Eventually, the minister could only admit, of course, it is a bit difficult. The inquiry quickly sparked a flood of comments online. Initially,
5:23 many were curious. Where is this government questioning happening? The legislature is really impressive. Some nizens from Djang Su confirmed that it was a Taiwanese legislator questioning an official and they were amazed. Can Taiwan really ask questions like this? One person commented, "In mainland China, forget direct questioning. Many people don't even know who the Minister of Education is." Another person lamented, "We don't even dare to speak like this to our village officials, let alone have them take responsibility on the spot. This kind of supervision makes you really feel the difference in systems across the Taiwan Strait. But more importantly, the legislator's focus wasn't on the quality of the food, but on the details of how kids actually eat. Why? Taiwan has already established a relatively complete system of food sourcing and safety management for
6:08 school meals, including a campus ingredient registration and traceability mechanism. This ensures that the supply chain can be traced and those responsible can be held accountable. The purchasing, acceptance, and management of school lunches are more standardized, reducing the chance of sloppy handling. When something goes wrong, it's easier to spot, hold accountable, and demand improvements. Additionally, the food supply system in rural areas is well organized with central kitchens preparing the food, cold chain delivery, and temperature management. This ensures the food is more stable and controlled when it reaches the school. Given this framework, the legislature focused not just on whether the food met standards, but on the children's reality. With such a short time and no tools, how could the kids even eat? In China, school meals
6:56 are often monopolized by a few suppliers with connections, leaving parents unable to track the process or hold anyone accountable. In September 2025, several parents in Shanghai took to platforms like Xiao Hong Shu to report that their children's school lunches smelled bad, tasted awful, and didn't fill them up. and the costs weren't low. Parents questioned if they were paying for the meals, why were their children being served such poor food? On September 15th, 2025, the shrimp and scrambled eggs dish was pulled from the menu due to its bad smell. This quickly sparked heated discussions in parent groups. One parent shared a photo of the lunch, yellowed celery, slimy meatballs, and half cold rice, all for more than 10 yen. Many parents replied saying their kids also thought it tasted awful with
7:41 one even mentioning that they had been served frozen fried fish fillets for an entire week. Soon related information and videos were deleted. Some parents also noticed the supplier for the school was Shanghai Lu Industrial Development Company, also known as Green. Miss Shiao, a parent from a primary school in Shanghai's Mihong district, shared her daughter's disgusting experience with eating at school. After the shrimp and scrambled eggs incident on September 15th, she was deeply worried because her daughter's meals were supplied by Linja. On September 16th, after her daughter had lunch, she complained of feeling unwell and said the food smelled bad and made me throw up. Miss Shiao immediately had her family pick her daughter up from school. Her daughter recalled that one dish was especially salty and the radish
8:27 soup had a strange foul smell that made her feel nauseous. Michelle also learned from the parent group that on September 15th the school had temporarily replaced one of the dishes with small bread and a parent posted the ingredients list which contained many additives. Whether the dish was swapped due to the shrimp and scrambled eggs being pulled is unclear. In addition to Miss Shiao, many other parents reported that their children felt the meals were nutritionally inadequate and tasteless. often containing too many fried items and relying on frozen products like chicken and duck. After the incident gained attention, many parents reported it to the relevant departments, but no clear public investigation results have been released. Industry insider speculated that the strange odor from the shrimp and scrambled eggs might stem from poor ingredient quality or improper frozen
9:13 storage, as frozen products can spoil with prolonged storage. It's also possible that student meals differ from those for teachers, as teachers meals may use fresher ingredients, while student meals may rely more on frozen and semi-prepared products. Additionally, campus meal contracts are often long-term, making it difficult to change suppliers quickly with multiple layers of outsourcing when issues arise, blame is often shifted and the procurement and inspection chains lack transparency. As for why GreenJ is hard to challenge, netizens believe it's due to the company's large presence in the Shanghai school meal sector. Its extensive network and high profit margins make it a powerful player in the industry. Green GS food supply business covers several districts and hundreds of schools in Shanghai. Despite public outcry, the company continues to win
9:59 bids and secure new contracts, giving the impression that they'll still win the bids regardless of the complaints. It has also been revealed that the company's structure is complex with multiple layers of holding companies and offshore entities making it difficult to hold top level executives accountable. Some have pointed out that Greenia is linked to a food testing agency whose shareholders are connected to Greenia's executives, raising suspicions of a self-checking system and potential conflicts of interest. Moreover, Greenia offers low prices for its meals with one student lunch possibly costing as little as 3 to four yen in ingredients. Yet many parents report paying 15 to 25 per meal, suggesting the presence of markups, subcontracting or profit sharing. One netizen bluntly said, "Greenia is likely just a channel for
10:46 some people to make money off student meals. The people behind it could have any level of power, and with such an interest system, how could it be easily toppled?" The suspicion has some basis. On May 22nd, China Newsweek reported a case of embezzling student meal fees in a town in southern China. This school had over a thousand students and a cafeteria manager going by the name Jang Yun Bao. Jong embezzled student meal fees for 11 years by serving less than the stated portions and substituting quality ingredients with inferior ones. Jong along with the vice principal and principal pocketed more than 2 yen per meal by cutting corners. After the case was discovered, over 20 people in the district voluntarily confessed. The students in this school mainly came from rural families, and the meal fee was 17
11:32 yen per day, which many parents could only pay in weekly installments. One class teacher said that parents scrimped and saved to pay, but their children still didn't get enough to eat. After multiple complaints went unanswered, the teacher could only remind students to be extra sweet when asking for rice, hoping to get a little extra. This case was exposed in May 2024 and in October of the same year, Jang Gun Bao and the vice principal were sentenced to over one year in prison. The principal involved in other serious illegal activities had not yet been sentenced. Even more unsettling details have emerged. In addition to the shrimp issue, the media reported that one school had purchased beef with a shelf life of up to 540 days. Another previous supplier had bought pork with a shelf life of 720
12:18 days. This so-called zombie meat, as parents call it, was served to children. In Satron Province, similar incidents of food safety in school meals are widespread. Multiple elementary schools have been reported to serve students spoiled rotten pork. In video footage, many parents can be seen gathered outside the school demanding answers. Some hold up the rotten pork while others bring out a basket of suspected spoiled sick pork. The scene is filled with constant arguing and emotions run high. According to insiders, the parents outrage stems from repeatedly reporting the issue to the education bureau without receiving any response. Even more troubling, some parents revealed that their children had been eating this rotten pork for an entire semester. Meanwhile, a secretly filmed video of the kitchen at the meal supplier company
13:03 began circulating online. The footage shows an uncomfortable environment. The room is so hot it reaches over 30° C, and it's so humid that the person filming quickly becomes drenched in sweat. The floor and meal prep areas are disgustingly filthy. Cleaning raw rice and vegetables feels like falling into a pit of filth. The person filming says, "Just thinking about what the kids are eating here gives me an indescribable feeling of guilt." Another adds, "Good thing I didn't eat breakfast, or else seeing this place, I'd throw up everything I ate this morning." Once the video went viral, it caught the attention of the education department. The staff member who filmed the footage was quickly fired and became the scapegoat. You can't post videos like this. The education bureau has already called us
13:48 and now the government is involved. Do you know what this will do to us? Our company's survival is at stake. Please delete it. In contrast, Taiwan's school meal system is a more transparent and controllable standardized model. Many schools use centralized delivery, keeping costs low while still meeting basic nutritional and hygiene standards. The key difference is that Taiwan's media can openly walk into central kitchens and film the entire process. washing vegetables, preparing food, cooking, packaging, and delivering meals to schools. This gives the public a clear visual understanding of how meals are prepared and whether everything is done by the book. Meanwhile, in China, many school meals fail to meet even the most basic safety standards. It's no wonder nizens lament. If Taiwan were to return to China, even the last pure land might not be spared, and it might be
14:35 better off staying away. At the beginning of this year, the Chinese government suddenly announced plans to tackle the student meal issue, proposing reforms like centralized kitchen delivery. On January 14th, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission held a meeting on the rectification of school meals, announcing a major development. By the end of 2027, all primary and secondary schools in Beijing would gradually phase out outsourcing and switch to self-operated in-house cafeterias. According to this statement, in the future, Beijing students will have access to warmer, more nutritious, and tastier meals. And Beijing is portrayed as the city to fire the first shot in nationwide school cafeteria reform. Additionally, on February 6th, some regions in HB and other areas also stated that they would continue to
15:20 promote reform in areas like campus meals, extracurricular activities, and school uniforms. However, some netizens have questioned, can school meals really be thoroughly reformed if the overall power structure and profit chain remain unchanged? Will it be like the anti-corruption campaign? Louder proclamations leading to even more hidden and stubborn problems. After all, as long as the processes remain opaque and supervision is blocked, dirty practices will always find a hiding place.
