School canteen menu prices have increased again in 2024 amid the rise in goods and services tax (GST) to 9%.
In at least one primary school, canteen food prices have increased by between 10 and 50 cents.
At least one vendor has said that they have no choice but to ask for a raise in prices due to the increasing costs of ingredients.
Meanwhile, parents who spoke to Lianhe Zaobao said they understand the need for increases but hope that they won’t go too far.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Chung Cheng High School (Main) sent a letter to parents earlier this year, informing them of increased prices at the school canteen.
They cited vendors facing rising prices, especially higher costs of ingredients required to prepare healthy meals.
Following the price adjustment, the average price of a standard set meal at each stall — that is, a basic meal and a drink — does not exceed S$2.80, but some meals cost slightly more.
Huayi Secondary School principal Ms Sandra Gwee told Lianhe Zaobao that due to rising costs, seven canteen vendors have asked the school for higher prices this year.
As such, the school has approved raises ranging from 10 to 50 cents.
She added that the school has a committee that regularly monitors the meals sold by vendors every week. This includes ensuring that food prices are set affordably.
The school also guides vendors to help them prepare nutritious meals using healthier ingredients.
We did a comparison of Zhenghua Primary School’s canteen prices in 2023 and 2024, which are made public.
An udon soup mee inclusive of vegetable and fruit, for example, cost S$1.20 or S$1.50 in 2023.
Source: Zhenghua Primary School
However, the exact set meal now costs S$1.70 or S$2.
Source: Zhenghua Primary School
Some other stalls have increased prices by just 10 cents compared to 2023.
Meanwhile, other vendors have claimed to have had their request to increase prices rejected.
One anonymous vendor posted in a Facebook group asking for help with pricing meals at school canteens.
“We are trying to increase our meal to S$2 a set [because] everything also increases cost, labour, transport, food cost, etc.,” they wrote.
However, they faced difficulty as the school wanted more evidence of these increases.
In an update, the vendor stated that while they don’t face stress about rent, they do get it from other parties like parents, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and consumers.
Since they claimed that their request to increase prices was denied by the school, they would have to work extra hours to cover expenses.
Parents who spoke to Lianhe Zaobao said that the increase in prices is reasonable.
A parent surnamed Liang remarked in an interview: “Nowadays, the prices of many things have increased, and I expected the prices of canteen food to increase as well.”
Source: Xishan Primary School, for illustration purposes only
“I understand the reasons why vendors raise prices, but I hope they will not take the opportunity to increase prices too much.”
Another 41-year-old parent with two children in primary school, Ms Zheng (name transliterated from Mandarin), said her two children told her that their pocket money was not enough.
That was how she learned that the canteen vendors had increased food prices by about 20%.
Among them, mixed vegetable rice has the largest increase, with the price of the meal comprising two types of vegetables increasing from S$1.50 to S$2.
In light of the increases, she has raised the amount of pocket money for her kids — from S$2.50 to S$3 for her younger son in primary two and S$3.50 to S$4 for her older daughter in primary five.
It isn’t the first time that Ms Zheng has increased her kids’ pocket money. She alleged that she did the same when school canteen food prices increased last year.
“The current food prices are within an acceptable range for me, but the prices have increased twice in a year, and some are more expensive. Families with school-age children may be even more burdened,” she said.
A 15-year-old student told Lianhe Zaobao that his school had raised canteen food prices, but by no more than 50 cents. Despite the increase, he finds it acceptable as the price of canteen food generally does not exceed S$4. This makes canteen food still a cheaper option compared to dining outside the school.
MOE told Lianhe Zaobao it is aware of concerns and has previously updated its pricing guidelines last year to guide schools in reviewing food prices.
“The Ministry of Education and schools will continue to ensure that all students can afford meals,” an MOE spokesperson said. “Students under the Ministry of Education’s financial aid programme can enjoy meal subsidies. Students who require additional assistance, including those unable to apply for the financial aid programme, can seek assistance from the school.”
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Featured image adapted from Punggol Cove Primary School, for illustration purposes only.
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