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Budget meals may fill stomachs, but not nutrition needs
Over the course of two weeks, CNA TODAY ate 40 budget meals, which lower-income individuals sometimes rely on, and found that all were carbohydrate-heavy with little to no vegetables or protein.
Six of the 40 budget meals from across Singapore that CNA TODAY ate in October 2025. (Photo: CNA/Loraine Lee, CNA/Deborah Ng)
Loraine Lee & Deborah Ng S Y
24 Oct 2025 09:30PM (Updated: 25 Oct 2025 04:47PM)
On days when 79-year-old Madam Sally Tan wants to eat a healthier meal, she makes the choice of sacrificing her accompanying cup of kopi O (coffee without milk).
It's not because her drink is unhealthy, but for her, it's the only way she can afford to pay an extra one to two dollars to buy a better meal, which comes with more protein and vegetables.
As a senior with mobility issues who finds it a hassle to buy groceries and stand for long periods over a stove, her go-to budget meal of fishball noodles, priced at S$3.50 (US$2.70), however, is a lifeline.
“I live alone. If I go to the supermarket, I can’t finish fresh vegetables or food anyway,” she said in Mandarin.
While budget meals like her usual fishball noodles – which has two fishballs and a single piece of lettuce over a bed of noodles – help fill her stomach, she said they often consist of mainly carbohydrates with very little vegetables or meat.
“For S$3.50, at least I can eat until I’m full ... But some days, I want a bit more vegetable or meat in a bak chor mee,” said Mdm Tan, adding that she also wanted a better variety of meals.
The budget meal scheme, where meals cost S$3.50 or less, was launched to help low-income individuals and families cope with the rising cost of living.
Since 2018, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has required all coffee shops signing a new lease with it to offer at least four budget meals and two budget drinks.
From May 2023, it also became a condition for those renewing their tenancy with HDB. This means that by 2026, budget meals will be offered at all 374 HDB-leased coffee shops. This is nearly half of all coffee shops located in HDB estates now.
To help consumers find such meals, an accompanying website called BudgetMealGoWhere was launched to list the locations of these meals, with diners also able to send in contributions of such meals anywhere on the island.
These meals, according to the BudgetMealGoWhere website, must be "full meals, and not side dishes, snacks, kids meal or half-portion meals".
Meanwhile, since 2015, stallholders at 16 socially conscious enterprise hawker centres (SEHC) have been offering at least one value meal per stall to fulfil a commitment in the operators' tenancy agreements.
Some volunteer groups said that such meals are a lifeline for seniors and low-income families who, for various reasons, are unable to cook at home.
Even if these individuals receive meal donations from social service agencies and charities, not all meals are covered and they still have to turn to budget meals a few times a week.
JUST SIX PEANUTS, BITS OF MEAT IN A BOWL OF PORRIDGE
Over two weeks in October, CNA TODAY ate 40 budget meals across Singapore to find out if these meals were substantial and nutritionally appropriate for an adult.As CNA TODAY went through the list on the BudgetMealGoWhere website, it found that at least five budget meals in two coffee shops were no longer available as the hawker stalls had changed hands.
Eventually, eight meals were bought from hawker centres, while the remaining 32 were from coffee shops, with most listed on the BudgetMealGoWhere website.
The budget meals were a mix of standalone dishes or smaller portions of a typically priced meal.
In some cases, reporters found it hard to even find the budget meals with signs blocked by chili containers or other menu items.
To check if such meals were nutritious, CNA TODAY weighed the carbohydrates, meat and vegetable portion of each meal.
These findings were then compared against the Health Promotion Board's (HPB) My Healthy Plate guide which states that in order to have a balanced meal, half the plate should be vegetables and fruit, a quarter protein, and a quarter filled with wholegrains or carbohydrates.
None of the 40 meals that CNA TODAY ate met HPB's recommendations.
In fact, more than a quarter of meals had no vegetables. For example, a value meal at a Western food store in Yishun Park Hawker Centre was a 328g bowl of mashed potatoes with gravy, although there was a sprinkling of dried oregano.
In most of the meals, protein was also often lacking or disguised.
At one stall in a coffee shop at Bedok Central, a S$3.50 serving of Japanese chicken karaage ricebowl was made up of mostly fried batter encrusting small bits of chicken – a common occurrence among budget meals that included deep-fried meat. A single leaf of lettuce was added to the chicken karaage rice bowl for fibre.
Stalls would also often flatten meats, likely in a bid to make them look more substantial than they were.
Over at Bukit Panjang, a S$3.50 bowl of Lor Mee (braised noodles) offered just half a boiled egg as its sole source of protein.
Almost all the meals relied heavily on carbohydrates like noodles and rice.
On average, carbohydrates from rice, noodles or potato made up 53 per cent of the weight of budget meals CNA TODAY ate.
The meal with the highest amount of carbohydrates was a minced meat porridge in Bedok Central, which weighed 551g. There were only 47g of meat and six peanuts in the porridge.
Staff at the store declined to comment as the owner was not present.
President of the Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association, Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran said that the porridge was not nutritionally balanced, as it should contain at least one serving, or 90g, of meat. It should also have at least 100g of cooked vegetables.
"The porridge is made with white rice. Adults should consume at least three to five servings of wholegrains every day. The meal is high in carbohydrates, especially refined carbs and also lacks dietary fibre," said Dr Kalpana.
She also noted the budget meals purchased, such as a lor mee with fishcake, were not only lacking in quantity but also had processed food and are high in sodium.
CNA TODAY also found that even when the budget meals were primarily carbohydrate-heavy, they were still significantly less substantial than a full-priced version of the same meal.
For example, a S$3 chicken rice in Fernvale Hawker Centre and Market had only 32.9g of chicken breast, 107.3g of rice and no vegetables.
A regular plate of chicken rice at the same stall costing S$4.50 had 123.8g of chicken meat, 198.4g of rice and 27.5g of cucumber and tomatoes. That extra S$1.50 gave consumers quadruple the amount of meat, double the rice and some vegetables.
Similarly, a S$3.50 chicken tamago don (chicken and egg rice bowl) from a Japanese stall at Cantine by Kopitiam in Greenridge Shopping Centre consisted of a few pieces of boiled chicken mixed in an omelette, totalling 100g.
The regular version of the same meal at the same stall, costing S$6, featured a whole breaded chicken cutlet alongside the egg, weighing 244g – more than double the amount of meat and egg compared to the budget version.
Of the 40 budget meals eaten, CNA TODAY did manage to find five good value meals that almost made the nutritional cut. Four were purchased from economy rice stalls, and had more than 130g of vegetables while another was a chicken wrap purchased at a stall selling Indian cuisine.
At a coffee shop stall in GBL Eating House in Clementi, a plate of rice accompanied by one meat dish and two vegetable dishes turned out to be fairly balanced – with 254g of carbohydrates, 196g of vegetables, and 70g of meat.
It was also priced at S$2.80 – even lower than the usual threshold of S$3.50.
Mr Raymond Khoo, the founder of The Saturday Movement, which delivers free meals to elderly individuals and needy families in low-income estates across Singapore, said he often hears complaints from his beneficiaries about budget meals being carbohydrate-heavy with little meat.
"The elderly feedback that it's insufficient ... but they have to buy the meals cause some of them can't cook as their hands shiver," said the 62-year-old who has been running the charity since 2010.
"For many of our elderly, the main goal is to be full and feed themselves."
Dieticians told CNA TODAY that nutrient-poor meals could lead to health concerns if eaten repeatedly over the long run.
Ms Annabelle Johnson, an accredited dietitian in private practice, said that meals that are regularly high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, or lacking in protein and fibre, could lead to fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, and elevated cholesterol or blood sugar levels.
Ms Johnson warned that nutrient-poor meals lead to low energy or poor metabolic health over time.
"(For) older adults, inadequate protein and calcium can contribute to muscle loss and increased risk of osteoporosis," she added.
Dr Kalpana added that infants and young children are also vulnerable as rapid growth and development from ages zero to five demands high-quality nutrition.
"Deficiencies in key nutrients, especially iron, zinc, vitamin D, calcium, and protein, can cause stunted growth, delayed cognitive development and weakened immunity," said Dr Kalpana, who is also the head of the Glycemic Index Research Unit at Temasek Polytechnic's School of Applied Science.
In the long run, children may have permanent learning difficulties or lower IQ potential, increased risk of infections and developmental delays, as well as face stunting and chronic diseases later in life.
She added that pregnant and breastfeeding women also need a significant amount of nutrition for fetal growth and milk production with a lack of nutrients increasing the risk of pregnancy complications.
VEGETABLES REQUIRE MORE PREP TIME
In recent weeks, concerns were raised about whether such budget meal schemes place too much financial strain on hawkers at SEHCs where providing such meals are mandatory as part of their tenancy agreement.For the hawkers CNA TODAY spoke to, the main challenge of providing healthy budget meals is indeed the cost factor. However, they explained that this boils down not just to the cost of ingredients but the labour cost and time taken to prepare such ingredients.
Fresh vegetables, they said, are harder to prepare because they need to be washed, peeled or have their stems removed, and in some cases combed through to remove less-than-optimal leaves. They then need to be diced or chopped up into bite-sized pieces.
Many hawkers like 62-year-old Tony Gulati pay external vendors to save on preparation time, adding to the cost of adding greens to their meals. Each kilo of cut vegetables can cost 50 cents to a dollar more compared to unprepped vegetables.
"I order cut vegetables because I'm a one-man show," said Mr Gulati, who has been running a stall selling Indian food for eight years at the hawker centre in Our Tampines Hub.
His value meal option, which was one of the few that almost reached recommended nutritional standards, does not feature any fresh vegetables.
The budget meal he offers is a wrap filled with bits of chicken, egg, and frozen vegetables, topped with a tangy yoghurt sauce.
He uses chia seed wraps, even though they cost a little more, to provide more nutrition.
"Make less money but give better food – that's our policy," he said.
Six months ago, he raised the price of that wrap from S$2.80 to S$3.50 after the hawker centre's operator FairPrice Group allowed an increase in price ceiling for value meals.
"We try our best (to make things healthy) ... to make it nutritious and (low in) fat," he said.
At a coffee shop in Telok Ayer, Mr Eugene Wang, 45, buys uncut vegetables, saving about S$1 per kilo as compared with pre-cut vegetables.
This has allowed the owner of vegetarian stall Veggie 121 to keep prices low, such as offering a bee hoon meal at S$2.50, which comprises of nearly 500g of bee hoon, 136.2g of vegetables and 116.4g of protein from a mix of beancurd and tofu.
At Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Curry Chicken Noodle in Fernvale Hawker Center and Market, customers opting for their budget meal have the choice of bee hoon or yellow noodles with curry for the price of S$3.20. The flavourful bowl of curry comes with two pieces of beancurd skin, shredded chicken breast, as well as a small handful of bean sprouts.
"My boss has already calculated precisely how much to go into one value meal bowl. If we increased the amount (of vegetables and meat), we would be losing money," said the stall's assistant, Mr Chen Xu, 31, in Mandarin.
"Truth be told, we don't earn from the value meal. But most people order our full (priced) dishes anyway so we can still earn money."
On the upside, stallholders told CNA TODAY that budget meals also did not make up a significant amount of sales. So for those who offer more nutrition and may only break even on such a meal, the impact is not so severe.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Goh Hanyan told parliament on Sep 24 that value meals made up 5 to 20 per cent of meals sold by hawkers in SEHCs.
Ms Ah Lan, 47, who runs 82 Western Food in Tiong Shan Porridge Centre at Whampoa Drive, sells a chicken sausage rice set with egg and a side, including a vegetable option, priced at S$3.50 – unchanged for the past decade.
Her stall offers several dishes under that price, including fried rice with egg, fish cutlet with rice and a chicken cutlet with rice. Customers can also swap sides, such as switching coleslaw for fries, at no extra charge.
"Not many people buy the budget set," she shared in Mandarin, noting that most of those who do are young children – about three or four a day, sometimes none.
Because of that, keeping these lower-priced meals on the menu does not make much of a difference to her overall sales.
For Mr Gulati, who sells Indian food at Tampines, he estimates that value meals earn him 10 to 15 per cent less per dish compared to his other dishes. But since they make up only a small part of sales, he said it doesn't hurt his pocket too much.
While offering more vegetables in a meal is healthier, hawkers said that it not only increases costs – they have experienced the wrath of customers who feel they are not getting bang for their buck.
"If vegetarian food costs the same as non-vegetarian food, people will choose meat because they think it's healthier," explained Mr Wang from the vegetarian stall in Telok Ayer.
"They also think that they won't be full if there's not enough rice or noodles."
FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN NUTRITION AND PRICE
With hawkers lamenting the cost of preparing budget meals and diners complaining about the low nutritional value of such meals, how then can a balance be struck?Dr Charlene Chen, People's Action Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC), has received feedback that there could be more variety among budget meals.
"Given that many Singaporeans, especially senior citizens, rely on coffee shops and hawker centres for sustenance, we must look into providing budget meals that have sufficient nutritional value based on current standards," she said.
In September this year, Workers' Party MP for Sengkang GRC Louis Chua filed a parliamentary question on whether the burden of providing affordable food has been unfairly placed on hawkers.
Responding to CNA TODAY's queries, Mr Chua suggested re-examining the responsibility distribution between SEHC operators, stallholders, consumers and the government.
"It is important that budget meals do not come at the expense of nutrition – especially if the government wishes to continue to champion healthier living and eating habits," he told CNA TODAY, adding that he had received feedback from residents about budget meal portions and variety.
When it comes to making the food healthier, HPB told CNA TODAY that it works with food and beverage establishments, including hawkers, to increase the availability and accessibility of healthier food and beverages. These efforts are not limited to budget meals, it added.
When asked what hawkers can do, HPB said hawkers could look at providing wholegrain options, add simple stir-fried vegetables or eggs as a side or part of a dish.
"Alternatively, operators can reduce the use of oil, salt, sauces in their cooking and allow consumers the option to reduce portion sizes such as asking for less rice or noodles, gravy, or soup," said the agency.
Even with these suggestions, hawkers are uncertain if they can make their meals healthier given how the cost of ingredients, utilities and rent for some continue to climb.
"We really just try our best. As much as we feed the people, we also need to feed ourselves and our families," said Mr Gulati, the owner of Indian Cuisine in Tampines.
