TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) announced on Thursday (Jan. 8) that public elementary and junior high schools in Taichung will provide free nutritious lunches starting in the 2026 academic year. This initiative will benefit approximately 214,000 students. Mayor Lu emphasized that the city will allocate between NT$25 billion and NT$30 billion annually, with each meal costing between NT$60 and NT$70.
Lu plans to propose a supplementary budget in March to support this policy and urged the Taichung City Council to back the initiative. During a morning press conference, she stated that times have changed. In the past, nutritious lunches mainly subsidized disadvantaged students. Now, they should be considered part of the government's overall education policy, akin to desks, chairs, and school buildings, supplied by the government.
The mayor emphasized Taichung's longstanding commitment to investing in education, noting that the city's expenditures exceeded those of other counties and cities. She assured that the city would secure the necessary funds to implement free nutritious lunches, highlighting the importance of not letting children fall behind from the start.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) announced on Tuesday (Jan. 6) that Taipei will offer free nutritious lunches to elementary and junior high school students starting this year. Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) followed suit on Wednesday (Jan. 7), expressing Keelung's intention to align with Taipei's policy.