SGH patron expresses concern over S$8 vegetarian Bee Hoon amid rising food prices

SINGAPORE: In the midst of rising food prices attributed to inflation, local eateries have faced increasing scrutiny for their meal costs.

Recently, another incident emerged when a patron at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) expressed dismay over paying S$8 for a serving of vegetarian bee hoon.

Last Friday (20 Oct), a patron took to Facebook to share his experience, describing the meal as “so expensive.”

He specified that he was at SGH for the first time when he bought this meal.

The meal included bee hoon noodles accompanied by three side dishes, comprising an omelette, green beans, and beancurd skin.

He did not disclose the exact location within SGH where he made this purchase.

S$8 vegetarian bee hoon. (Source: COMPLAINT SINGAPORE/ Facebook)

Netizens agreed the meal is expensive

This post quickly garnered attention from netizens, who echoed the sentiment that the pricing appeared to be exorbitant.

They voiced their concerns and discontent about the seemingly high cost of meals at the hospital.

Some commentators also hold the viewpoint that the meal’s appropriate price range should be approximately $3 to $4 instead.

One user encouraged the OP to complain directly to SGH, stating that the food was not only costly but also had a poor taste.

Previous and similar incidents highlight cost concerns

This is not the first time SGH has come under fire for its food prices.

In a previous incident in Sept of this year, another customer expressed dissatisfaction after ordering tom yum soup from a food court at SGH, deeming it “not worth it” due to the meager portion of just three prawns and one piece of sotong.

Additionally, a similar incident was documented at a different venue, the food court of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, in August.

In this case, a woman was taken aback when she was billed $7.80 for her order of vegetarian mee hoon.

This meal included mee hoon along with mock meat, brinjal, and fried beancurd skin.

Notably, the woman pointed out that the stall did not provide a receipt, and when she inquired about the pricing breakdown, she was informed, “each side dish is $2.”

This implies that the mee hoon’s price is $1.80.

In the same month, another incident also occurred at Sengkang General Hospital’s Koufu food court, in which a customer was charged $5.70 for his lunch which was a brown rice with ladyfinger, cabbage and mock fish from the vegetarian stall.

“This rice cost me $5.70. It’s damn expensive,” he said.

He added that he had been to this stall often.

However, he said, “last time, it was standard mixed vegetable rice prices, but now it has gone up double.”

As food prices continue to escalate, such instances of diners expressing frustration over the cost of their meals serve as a reflection of the broader challenges faced by consumers in the current economic climate.

The debate over food pricing is likely to persist as individuals and establishments grapple with the economic impact of inflation.

It is interesting to note that according to figures from the Ministry of Trade and Industry earlier today, food price inflation in Singapore had decreased to 4.3% in September from 4.8% in August, with the costs of non-cooked food items and prepared meals rising at a more conservative pace.