More than 2,500 students at three primary schools for poor relocated students in Zhongning County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have benefited from a free lunch policy, said the local education bureau head Wang Yuquan.

The local government gives qualified students a subsidy of 4 yuan (US$0.63) each for buying food provided by catering companies or schools that deliver free lunch, Wang said.

Yixiangyuan Restaurant is a catering company that supplies school lunches. Six workers start at 5 a.m. every day to prepare food.

"We invested 100,000 yuan (US$15,700) in purchasing delivery vehicles and stainless steel vacuum bottles and updating kitchen equipment in a bid to deliver safe quality lunches to the kids in time each day," said Ma Hejun, a restaurant manager.

The free lunch project is still in a trial phase. But Wang said that all 30,000 relocated students in primary schools will be able to enjoy the benefit next year.