I feel that the cost of primary school canteen food is a contributing factor to the high cost of living for families.

For example, homemade pancake costs $1.20 a piece, while roti prata costs $1 and homemade pizza costs $1.50.

A small bowl of instant noodles with a fishball and a few pieces of fish cake costs at least $1.50.

A plate of white rice with chicken and cabbage costs between $1.60 and $2.

The serving sizes are small.

When my daughter was in Primary 5, she had to eat two servings in order to fill her stomach.

To put the serving sizes in perspective, I estimate that it would take about four servings of canteen food to get a similar serving size as that at a mixed-rice stall at hawker centres.

Getting this amount of food at a primary school canteen would translate to spending $6.40 to $8.

And drinks made from syrup are sold at up to $1 a glass.

I hope the Ministry of Education can look into the cost of school canteen food to help parents with the cost of living.

Tey Ngan Yen