Affordability of food prices at school canteens

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Chua Chu Kang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) what are the steps taken to ensure the affordability of food prices at school canteens, especially for students from lower income families; and (b) whether food portions in school canteens are monitored or maintained even as prices remain the same.

Response

1. Schools monitor canteen food quality, food portions, and prices based on guidelines provided by MOE, to ensure that canteen food meets the nutritional needs of our students, and that prices are affordable for students and sustainable for canteen vendors. We are aware that some canteen vendors may try to hold off price increases by shrinking portion sizes, and schools do step in and work with vendors as necessary.

2. We regularly review the school meal subsidies for our primary and secondary students from low-income families so that they can afford school canteen meals, even as prices rise because of inflation. We have recently announced that the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) will be enhanced by 20% to 30%, from January 2023. Beyond the MOE FAS, schools are given additional funds so that they can provide further assistance to students from lower income households who need more help. Households who need additional support for school meals, including those who have exceeded the MOE FAS income eligibility criteria, can approach schools for school-based assistance.