The canteen of a prestigious university in Beijing has limited the purchase of eggs and steamed bread, with each person allowed to buy up to two eggs and five pieces of bread each meal, Beijing Morning Post reported Friday.

The food management center at Beijing-based Communication University of China said they imposed the limit because the canteen's eggs and steamed bread were often bought by dozens by people from outside the campus.

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University canteens are generally subsidized by the government to keep food prices stable and affordable for the students in China.

The food management center said the canteen saw heavy losses last year amid the fast rising prices, and the limitation was only aimed at stopping it from losing more while keeping food prices untouched.

Students were not affected by the new rule and just found it interesting because no one believes they can eat two eggs and five pieces of bread in one meal.

A sophomore said the limit has been there for days but one egg and three pieces of steamed bread are enough for him.

One egg costs 0.5 yuan at the canteen and more than 0.9 yuan outside campus. One piece of steamed bread costs 0.4 yuan at the canteen, and more than 0.5 yuan outside.