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Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Forum: Budget meals must be full-sized portions
We thank Mr Li Wei Jun for his feedback ('Ensure that budget meal is still a proper meal', April 23). The Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Housing & Development Board (HDB) introduced the budget meal initiative in March 2023, to ensure that residents have access to affordable food options in HDB estates. Under the initiative, all rental HDB coffee shops that have renewed their tenancies starting from May 2023, as well as privately owned HDB coffee shops purchased from the open market, are required to offer at least four budget meals and two budget drink options. Despite our efforts to reach Mr Li, we were unable to ascertain whether the budget meal mentioned is part of the budget meal initiative or was voluntarily offered by the coffee shop. Nonetheless, we agree with Mr Li that budget meals should be adequately portioned. Under our guidelines, the budget meals provided by participating coffee shops must be full-sized meals for adults, and not be kid's meals or half-portions. To this end, we work closely with coffee shop operators and stallholders, and conduct regular checks to ensure compliance with our budget meal requirements. While we aim to ensure affordable cooked options for Singaporeans, we are also mindful not to overburden stallholders. Hence, we are reviewing the Price-Quality Method framework to increase the weightage for quality and consider the charges that prospective coffee shop operators impose on stallholders. We welcome public feedback on budget meals and will follow up with the operators as appropriate. Members of the public may submit their feedback via HDB's website or the BudgetMealGoWhere portal. Chia I-Ling Director (Policy & Planning) Housing & Development Board More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
22-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Forum: Ensure that budget meal is still a proper meal
I recently had lunch at a neighbourhood coffee shop and was pleased to see the chicken rice stall participating in the budget meals scheme (All HDB rental coffee shops to sell budget meals by 2026 to help keep food affordable in the heartland, March 2, 2023), offering a chicken breast rice meal at $2.50. Curious about the initiative, I placed an order for it, only to be told that the portion size was for children. While I appreciate the good intent behind the budget meals scheme, I feel its implementation deserves closer scrutiny. Such schemes should consider not just the price, but also the portion size and nutritional value of the meals. For individuals from lower-income backgrounds who may rely on these meals as their primary source of daily sustenance, it is essential to ask if these meals are truly adequate. Furthermore, will long-term reliance on such undersized, nutritionally lacking meals lead to broader health concerns? Price alone should not define what qualifies as a budget meal. A meal that leaves one hungry or lacks basic nutritional balance cannot fulfil its purpose, no matter how affordable it is. There need to be clearer guidelines to ensure that participating stalls provide meals that are both reasonably portioned and nutritionally sound. Of course, I understand that stall owners face increasing operational costs. But if the scheme cannot be reasonably implemented without compromising the definition of a proper meal, then perhaps participation should be optional. A token offering that does little to meet real needs risks reducing the scheme to merely one for show. Let's not dilute a well-meaning initiative with half measures. Let's make a meal a meal – one that feeds not just the stomach, but the dignity of those it aims to support. Li Wei Jun More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
