RIYADH: School students in Saudi Arabia spend an average of SR84 ($22.40) to SR130 per month on canteen purchases, according to e-payment platform Maqsafy, which attributed the variation to student age, type of school, and geographic location.
Maqsafy data show the platform provides student meals through a network of accredited catering contractors, serving more than 1,359 schools across Saudi Arabia.
Rising student spending in international schools
Around 281,000 students benefit from the Maqsafy platform, with spending varying by school type and location. Average expenses are higher in international and private schools compared to public schools and tend to increase as students grow older.
On the other hand, some families opt for meals packed in lunch boxes instead of purchasing from the school canteen. While seemingly simple, this daily practice hides growing monthly costs for families. What was once a modest school meal has now become a significant household expense, reflecting rising prices and changing lifestyles.
Lunch boxes emerge as a costly alternative
The increase in cost is driven not only by rising prices but also by changes in meal composition.
Clinical nutritionist Adan Al-Wahwah noted that many modern school meals are nutritionally excessive, having evolved from simple, energy-boosting snacks into overly packed boxes containing unnecessary items.
She emphasized that a child only needs a simple, balanced meal during the school day, and variety should be spread across days, not packed into a single meal.
Al-Wahwah added that the abundance of items in a lunch box can confuse children, leading them to choose the easiest or sweetest options, while also increasing food waste, causing both nutritional and economic losses.
From a social perspective, family counselor Rajaa Abdulhamid noted that the rise of the modern lunch box has fundamentally changed the landscape.
Previously, she added, there was no competition over presentation or pressure to decorate meals; mothers were simply expected to provide a meal appropriate for their child, considered sufficient by the family, and that was enough.
Abdulhamid believes that breaking this pattern begins with the child, by teaching them self-confidence, not to rely on others’ judgment of what they eat, and to understand their own preferences without feeling inadequate.
She added that this also requires mothers to avoid comparisons and not monitor what other children bring, recognizing that every parent acts according to their own capacity and circumstances.
The family counselor suggested that schools play a practical role in easing this burden by adopting a simple and effective model that provides a daily meal suitable for the child’s age, clean, and healthy, either through the school canteen or in partnership with trusted healthy food providers.
She emphasized that this approach transforms the canteen into an organized space for meal service rather than just shelves for sale, a model already implemented in some educational environments with proven effectiveness.
Daily cost of SR18 for families
Mothers’ opinions highlight the daily burden of school meals, with Noura Saleh saying that a single meal for her child costs between SR15 and SR18 per day, a significant figure when calculated monthly compared to the past.
Sara Abdullah noted that the cost of the lunch box has risen by around 50 percent compared with previous years, placing a significant burden on families, particularly those with more than one child in school.
Meanwhile, Layan Khaled said that while the lunch box remains a nutritional necessity, she tries to balance cost and benefit by preparing meals at home instead of relying on ready-made options.
Maqsafy, a Saudi platform specializing in developing electronic payment systems, organizes school canteen sales electronically by enabling canteens to receive payments through students’ digital wallets.
Parents can add their children to the platform, deposit funds, and allocate daily allowances while monitoring their purchases.
A field survey of school supply and accessories stores revealed that lunch boxes now represent a notable additional expense.
Prices range from SR40 to SR80 for basic plastic models, SR80 to SR200 for higher-quality divided plastic or simple stainless-steel versions, and SR200 to SR700 for advanced thermal or multi-compartment designs.
