SINGAPORE: A Reddit post has sparked discussions on whether school canteen vendors in Singapore are being pressured to keep food prices artificially low.
Posted on 26 January in the r/Singapore forum, the user highlighted that rental costs for primary school canteens are significantly lower than market rates, sometimes as low as $50 per month.
However, despite the low rental fees, vendors are reportedly required to price a meal consisting of rice, meat, vegetables, and fruit at just $2.00 to $2.50—at least $3 to $4 below standard market prices.
“They justified it because rental is low,” the user wrote.
The post further argued that if this price difference is seen as an implicit form of “rental,” vendors effectively forgo around $300 per day if they sell hundreds of meals.
“But if we treat that $3–$4 off as a way of rental, one stall selling hundreds of plates per day would total about $300 per day. That’s at least $9,000 to $12,000 per month as ‘rental’—way more than what they actually pay,” the user added.
Additionally, the post pointed out that school canteens are not allowed to operate on weekends or during school holidays, further limiting vendors’ income.
The user questioned whether such policies were fair, asking, “Why do we have to press them on prices? Don’t we want to make sure children eat good, proper meals in school?”
Redditors Weigh In on School Canteen Vendor Struggles
Following the post, several Reddit users shared their perspectives on the challenges faced by school canteen vendors in Singapore.
One user pointed out that canteen stalls operate only 20 days a month, serving lunch exclusively, and remain closed during school holidays.
Another highlighted that the issue extends beyond just cost—it also concerns revenue and cash flow.
They suggested allowing stalls to operate at night or on weekends for additional customers and prioritising school catering from canteen vendors instead of external providers.
A user, who works closely with canteen vendors, noted that parents are often the biggest complainers about food prices.
They explained that vendors must adhere to a set price range determined by the school level—whether it is a primary school, secondary school, or junior college.
This pricing structure limits how much vendors can charge, regardless of rising costs.
Some users acknowledged that school canteen rentals are significantly lower than commercial food courts or coffee shops.
However, despite the lower rental costs, canteen operators do not receive any rebates or discounts on raw materials.
They also face limited operating hours, typically from Monday to Friday, and only until shortly after lunch due to low footfall.
Unless there is a special event, schools may direct stalls to prepare more food if recess timings are adjusted.
Vendors must also adhere to the Health Promotion Board’s (HPB) guidelines on serving healthier food.
One user suggested that a major challenge school canteen vendors face is their inability to buy ingredients in bulk, leading to higher costs.
“Since they buy in too small quantities, they can’t get bulk prices,” the user noted.
They questioned whether a central organisation or union could be established to purchase common food items such as rice and noodles in bulk.
This could allow stall owners to access lower prices, reducing costs and improving profit margins without increasing selling prices.
Could Central Kitchens Be the Solution?
Some Reddit users have highlighted the government’s possible shift toward central kitchens as a solution to the challenges faced by school canteen vendors.
One user claimed that instead of pressing vendors to keep prices low, the government may eventually replace them with a central kitchen system.
However, others were sceptical about the effectiveness of such a system.
“Central kitchen not going to work because logistics cost is probably higher. Price will be even higher, and food will be chilled,” one user argued.
Some users strongly opposed the idea of central kitchens, fearing a drop in food quality.
“People suggesting central kitchens—come on lah, you guys want an NS (National Service) cookhouse in schools?” one user remarked.
Others pointed out that military cookhouse food is both expensive and unappealing. One user noted that a meal in an army cookhouse costs around $9 yet tastes worse than a simple economy rice stall.
However, another user defended central kitchens, arguing that they are already widely used in the food industry.
“Almost all airline food, including business and first class, comes from central kitchens. Fast food chains and healthy meal prep businesses also rely on them,” they pointed out.
They argued that poor food quality isn’t necessarily due to central kitchens but rather the way regulations are implemented.
The user also warned that the current school meal system is unsustainable, as vendors are struggling to stay afloat.
Raising prices would lead to complaints, while keeping them low could eventually force schools to turn to central kitchens.
MOE Explores Central Kitchens to Address School Canteen Challenges
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is considering central kitchen-based meal preparation as a solution to the growing challenge of finding new school canteen stallholders, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in Parliament on 12 November.
He noted that the issue is expected to worsen as current stallholders retire.
Under this model, which has already been piloted at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, students would pre-order meals, which are then prepared at a central kitchen and delivered to schools.
“Where there are existing stallholders impacted by such a transition, schools will help by referring them to nearby schools or recommending them for employment by the central kitchen operator,” Mr Chan explained.
Speaking on radio station Kiss92 on 1 December, Mr Chan said that central kitchens would help maintain food quality, uphold nutrition standards, and reduce waste.
“It’s very hard to manage or to check the quality standards of thousands of canteen operators in our schools, but it’s easier for us to check the quality standards of the central kitchens,” he said, addressing concerns about food quality.
He also highlighted that central kitchens could help lower costs for canteen operators by minimising food waste.
“Canteen uncles and aunties, they don’t know when (students) wake up, whether they want nasi lemak or mee siam, and they have to prepare everything. They end up with quite a bit of wastage, and that gets into the cost,” he explained.
As part of its broader efforts, MOE is also exploring other options, such as allowing traditional canteen stallholders to remain while supplementing meals with vending machines for students staying back after school.
Schools will have the flexibility to decide on the best model based on their needs, Mr Chan added.
Queries to MOE that were sent on 10 Feb regarding its school canteen vendor policies, and the challenges they face remain unanswered to date.
The post Reddit users question if school canteen vendors are being pressed to keep prices low appeared first on The Online Citizen.
