Mr Chan answered questions about school canteens from MPs Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang), He Ting Ru (WP-Sengkang) and Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang).

They asked about the rising costs faced by school canteen vendors and the nutritional value of school meals.

Canteen owners must serve meals that meet the nutritional guidelines of the Health Promotion Council. The MOE regularly reviews school food pricing guidelines so that stalls can continue to provide healthy and affordable meals, Mr Chan said.

Stall holders are paid rents of between $US5 ($3.75) and $US15 a month, which are waived during school holidays.

Canteen vendors previously told CNA that they struggle with costsbecause price inflation, limited hours of operation and home learning make it difficult to maintain a steady income.

Mr Chua asked if the MOE would review the current decentralized canteen model and expand the central kitchen model to more schools in light of financial sustainability concerns.

“In terms of the scale and speed of scaling up the central delivery model, that will also depend very much on the circumstances of different schools,” replied Mr Chan.

“Different schools have different needs and we will make the necessary transitions based on the different needs of the schools.”