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2003
- Japanese
supermarket chain Meidi-Ya opens in Singapore
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Chomp Chomp food
centre in Serangoon Gardens has closed for a six-month
refurbishment under the National Environment Agency's (NEA)
Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme. It will reopen in April
2004. The hawker centre, originally known as Serangoon Garden
Food Centre, was last upgraded in 1998. (Straits Times 19 Sep
2003 H11) |
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Cold Storage
launched a do-it-yourself checkout scheme at its Tanglin
Market Place outlet on 1 Sep 2003. Customers can scan, pay and
bag their own purchases. However, Cold Storage "will not
replace the personalised conventional checkout service",
said its CEO Mr Silvestro Morabito. (Straits Times 2 Sep 2003 5). |
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Meidi-Ya,
a Japanese supermarket, will open in the former basement
premises of Daimaru at Liang Court tomorrow. (Straits
Times 3 Apr 2003)(H3) |
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A
special cookbook - A Celebration Of Taste - was launched yesterday.
It features favourite recipes whipped up in the kitchens of
business leaders and celebrities, such as Speaker of Parliament
Abdullah Tamugi and Raffles Hotel International's president and
COO Ms Jennie CHUA. The book was compiled by Prima-Spring
Singapore Baking Centre to celebrate its 10th anniversary. (Straits
Times 30 Mar 2003)(22) |
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From
1 April 2003, importers of all processed food brought into
Singapore are required to register with the Agri-Food and
veterinary Authority (AVA). Currently, only importers of
fresh produce such as vegetables, meat and fish need to be
registered. (Straits
Times 27 Mar 2003)(H9) |
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National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday it is
investigating allegations that some butchers at wet markets here
are passing off beef as mutton to unsuspecting customers, who may
include Hindus and Buddhists who don't eat beef for religious
reasons. The investigations come after the Tamil-language daily
Tamil Murasu reported the result of its own investigation. (Straits
Times 23 Feb 2003)(24) |
2002
- Singapore
Food Festival opening celebrations at Parco Bugis Junction
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Newton
Hawker Centre has become the third public place marked for
greater security after Holland Village and Boat Quay.
Barricades went up at the popular tourist haunt yesterday,
preventing vehicles from entering the area between the carpark
and the food stalls. In three weeks' time, the metal railing
that currently goes around part of the hawker centre will be
extended to encircle the entire area. Double yellow zig-zag
lines will also be painted along the roads bordering the hawker
centre to prevent vehicles from stopping there. (Straits
Times 21 Dec 2002) (3)
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Chew's
Agricultural Farm, a 20-ha farm in Lim Chu Kang, yesterday
announced its hen eggs contain selenium, a mineral that can help
prevent prostate, colon and breast cancer. The selenium-rich eggs
will be on supermarket shelves in one to two weeks' time.
Singaporeans scramble, boil or fry 100 million eggs a month,
according to figures from the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority
of Singapore. Currently two-thirds of that number are imported
from Malaysia. (Straits
Times 19 Nov 2002) (H1)
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The
National Arts Council (NAC) plans to turn about 940 sq m of
space in the old Parliament House into a food and beverage-cum
retail development. It also plans to make the main chamber
of the historic building, which housed Singapore's Parliament
from 1965 to 1999, an arts and concert venue. The refurbishment,
costing S$15.8 million, started in April and is expected to be
completed by December 2003. (Straits
Times 15 Jul 2002) (4)
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From
Monday 1 Jul 2002, the Environment Ministry's (ENV) food control department
will come under the purview of the Agri-Food and veterinary
Authority of Singapore (AVA). This means AVA will regulate the
safety of primary and processed food. It will also set and enforce
food safety standards and oversee food labelling, while ENV will
regulate food safety at the retail end. (Straits
Times 29 Jun 2002) (H1)
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Traces
of morphine were found in poppyseed cakes sold by Polar Puffs and
Cakes, and Delifrance last year. The two sellers had bought the
mix used to make their cakes from Bakels Singapore which had
imported it illegally. Yesterday, Bakels pleaded guilty to
importing the mix without a licence from the International
Enterprise Singapore and was fined S$60,000. (Straits
Times 5 Jun 2002) (3)
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Broccoli
and broccoli sprouts contain a chemical that kills the bacteria
responsible for stomach cancer, say researchers at John
Hopkins University School of Medicine. The chemical,
sulforaphane, killed a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and
often stomach cancers. (Straits
Times 29 May 2002) (15)
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The
Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has denied Malaysian
reports that Singapore barred Malaysian lorries carrying
vegetables from entering Singapore. This year, nearly 14,800
tonnes of vegetables a month were imported between January and
April, it said. Last year, less than 0.02 per cent of the 188,793
tonnes of vegetables imported from Malaysia were destroyed because
they had unacceptable levels of pesticide residue. (Straits
Times 10 May 2002) (H7)
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NTUC
Fairprice's 66 stores will absorb, for one year, the extra 2
percentage points for GST for 400 staple items, including rice,
oil and sugar, said NTUC secretary-general LIM Boon Heng
yesterday. This will cost the supermarket chain up to S$6 million
in foregone revenue. NTUC Unity, which operates 30 pharmacies
here, will absorb, also for one year, the extra GST on
prescription and over-the-counter medicines. The other NTUC
co-operative that will absorb the increase is NTUC Foodfare. (Straits
Times 6 May 2002) (1)
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The
28-year-old Adam Food Centre, formerly known as Adam Road Hawker
Centre, which has been upgraded at a cost of S$1.73 million, will
reopen for business in two weeks. The Government's aim is to
upgrade all of the island's 135 food and market centres over the
next ten years at a cost of S$420 million.
(Straits Times 3 May
2002) (H1)
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The
people behind family restaurant Denny's are due to reopen the
former Denny's restaurant in Marina Square as Checker's restaurant
on Friday. The restaurant chain was renamed Checker's last year
but it is still registered as Denny's Singapore. (Straits
Times 1 May 2002) (H8) |
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New
player ITU Superstore, which has a branch each in Ang Mo Kio and
Ghim Moh, has an in-house, low-interest credit card system that
allows customers to charge up to S$500 worth of groceries.
Customers need only show that they are Singaporeans or permanent
residents, that they own a Housing Board flat or have a rental
lease of more than a year, and have a regular salary. The minimum
payment per month is 25 per cent of toal purchases that month. No
interest is charged for prompt payment. Outstanding balances are
charged interest at 1.5 per cent a month. (Straits
Times 9 Apr 2002) (H3) |
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Denny's
Singapore a franchisee of one of America's biggest
family-restaurant chains, was served a winding-up notice on
Tuesday for failing to repay two interest-free loans, amounting to
S$2 million, which it took in 1999. The chain has been in
Singapore for about 16 years. (Straits
Times 4 Apr 2002) (H3) |
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More
than 1 million shopping bags are given out here each day.
Singapore's biggest supermarket chain, NTUC Fairprice, gives out a
total of 160 million bags each year. Cold Storage spends about S$2
million each year on the 70 million plastic bags it gives out. One
researcher estimates that people here use as many as 40 billion
bags a year. (Straits
Times 4 Apr 2002) (H3) |
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NTUC
Fairprice, Singapore's No.1 grocer, is building its biggest store
in Ang Mo Kio. When ready in 2006, the mega-supermarket will sell
- apart from groceries - electrical goods, clothes, shoes and
accessories. However, at 60,000 sq ft, the new store will be about
two-thirds that of Carrefour in Suntec City and just over half the
size of Giant in IMM Building in Jurong East. (Straits
Times 25 Mar 2002) (1) |
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Supermarket
shelves are being cleared of several brands of instant noodles and
crackers that were found to contain stevia, a sugar substitute not
approved for consumption here. Stevia extracts, which are used in
some countries, are said to be 200 times sweeter than sugar. Some
of the food being withdrawn have been sold here for years, some
possibly as far back as the 1970s. In the last two weeks, the
Environment Ministry (ENV) has found six Japanese products
containing stevia. They are: Nissin Tatsujin Tonkatsu Ramen
Instant Noodle, Nissin UFO Oomori Yaki Soba Instant Noodle, Kiku
Prawn Cracker, Koikeya Don Tacos Spicy Beef, Garlic Chip Rice
Cracker and Glico Biscuit Stick. All the product labels are in
Japanese and English. The English labels, however, do not indicate
the presence of stevia. (Straits
Times 18 Mar 2002) (3) |
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Washington: A study shows that a diet heavy in processed meats,
including hot dogs and bacon, increases the risk of Type 2
diabetes by about 50 per cent in men. Tyepe 2 Diabetes can
lead to blindness, kidney failure, limb amputation and death. A
group of researchers at Harvard School of Public Health analysed
the dietary habits of thousands of men. The study appeared in
Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes
Association. (1 Mar 2002) (H15) |
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The
Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has written to the
Poultry Merchants' Association to ask it to explain the increase
in the price of fresh chicken. In the last month, the price
of fresh chicken has risen by up to S$1 a kg. (Straits
Times 8 Feb 2002) (H4) |
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The
annual Singapore Food Festival, to be held from March 29 to April
30, is moving to the heartland for the first time. Foodies
will be taken to famous food stalls and restaurants in places,
such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa Payoh. This year's festival has
48 events, the biggest number so far, and hopes to attract 600,000
visitors.
(Straits Times 23 Jan 2002)(H3) |
2001
- Stadium
Waterfront - entertainment hub - opened on 1 Dec 2001
- Food Street - alfreco dining - opens in
Chinatown's Smith Street
- A Last
Look At Taman Serasi Hawker Centre
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NTUC
Fairprice yesterday announced that it will be adding another 200
items, on top of the 200 items announced earlier, to its discount
list from January 2002. The cuts will last until the end of the
year and will cost the co-operative a total of S$21.3 million. (Straits
Times 12 Dec 2001)(1) |
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From
now till Dec 2002, workers can enjoy up to 20 per cent discount on
rice and a basket of 200 other essential items at NTUC Fairprice
supermarkets. They can also look forward to an additional 5 per
cent discount on toiletries, vitamins, baby products and some
1,000 popular healthcare products at Unity NTUC Healthcare
pharmacy outlets around Singapore
(Straits Times 10
Dec 2001)(3) |
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McDonald's
raised the prices of some menu items at its 125 branches around
the island on Nov 29. The changes come less than three weeks after
39 McDonald's executives were laid off as part of "a
restructuring of its business operations". The fast-food
chain last raised the prices of selected items two years ago. This
time it raised the prices of drinks, desserts and set-meals by
between 7 and 10 per cent.
(Straits Times 6 Dec
2001)(H8) |
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Chinatown's
Food Street, which occupies part of Smith Street, will be closed
to traffic for several hours a day, starting today. It will
be closed from 6pm to midnight on weekdays and from 11am to
midnight on weekends and public holidays. The Land Transport
Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Tourism Board announced the
closure in a statement yesterday. (Straits
Times 1 Dec 2001)(H6) |
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Acting
Environment Minister LIM Swee Say yesterday announced that the
Government is considering offering coffeeshop owners one-time
financial incentives to help them upgrade their restrooms. The
amount of assistance to be provide has not been decided yet, but
Mr LIM said it would probably be some form of matched funding. (Straits
Times 20 Nov 2001)(H1) |
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Food
Street - alfreco dining - opens in Chinatown's Temple Street on
13 Nov 2001. |
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Singapore
has not asked Malaysia to resume supplying live pigs here,
contrary to a recent report in Malaysian news daily, Nanyang Siang
Pau. Singapore's food authority, the Agri-food and Veterinary
Authority (AVA), said this was not true. Singapore has stopped
importing live pigs from Malaysia since March 1999, after a Nipah
outbreak. Last year, Singapore imported 318,000 pigs from Pulau
Bulan in Indonesia, a total of 28,000 tonnes of frozen pork from
the Netherlands, China, Denmark and France, and a total of 24,000
tonnes of chilled pork from Australia and New Zealand. (Straits
Times 15 Nov 201)(H6) |
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Beef
imports from Japan have been banned, following the news that a
dairy cow there may have mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE). The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA)
announced the immediate ban yesterday, but said that what was
already here is safe to eat. It has not asked retailers or
importers to destroy their stocks. Korea has also banned Japanese
beef imports. (Straits
Times 12 Sep 2001)(H4) |
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Glasgow:
American researchers said yesterday that chocolate contains
compounds called flavonoids that can help maintain a healthy
heart and
good circulation, as well as reduce blood clotting, which causes
heart attacks and strokes. (Straits
Times 4 Sep 2001) (H8) |
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The NTUC
Fairprice chain of supermarkets is forgoing S$10 million by
slashing prices up to 20 per cent on a basket of 200 essential
items, such as sugar, salt and oil. Besides giving out
special offers on groceries weekly, it will continue the 20 per
cent discount on rice. At NTUC Foodfare's more than 12
coffeeshops, the price of beverages will go down by 5 to 10 per
cent. Insurance co-operative NTUC Income is extending the
biggest helping hand, worth about S$17 million, by deferring
insurance-premium payments and reducing loan payments. (Straits
Times 29 Aug 2001) (1) |
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London:
British scientists have developed a new breed of
genetically-modified, fast-growing tilapia, the world's most
popular fish - and say they will be on sale around the world
in three years' time. The laboratory-grown tilapia taste and
look like the natural variety, but there is one major
difference: They are more than three times as big. (Straits
Times 7 Aug 2001) (9) |
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The
current slowdown is biting into the food court business, often
perceived as recession-proof. Some food court managers said large
food courts located in areas with heavy human traffic, like MRT
stations and malls, were still coping, but mid-sized outlets were
finding it tough. Air-conditioned Baby Bistro food court at East
Coast Road, which is less than a year old, has already had two of
its eight stalls close. Another food court that fell to poor
traffic was the one at Forum The Shopping Mall, which closed in
June. The mall's management will lease the space to a non-food
operator.
(Straits Times 6 Aug
2001)(6)
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Eighteen
hawkers and 12 restaurants have been selected to bring open-air
dining back to Chinatown, after an absence of 20 years. Food
Street, a project by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), is
likely to open in the last quarter of 2001 and is expected to
revive the nightlife there. Now undergoing a S$1 million
construction, Food Street will have an outdoor eating area for
300 persons when completed. The hawkers and restaurants were
picked out of a total of 175 applications, 134 of which were for
the hawker kiosks and 41 for restaurant shop spaces. Among those
selected are Ming Fa Noodles, and Tai Tong Restaurant. Tai Tong
Restaurant was founded in 1928 and was one of the top Chinese
restaurants in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. It will be
known as Da Dong Restaurant.(Straits
Times 2 Aug 2001)(H3) |
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POSB
unveiled its supermaket banking service on 26 Jul 2001 with
the deployment of ATMs and Cash Deposit Machines at NTUC
Fairprice supermarkets in Hougang and Sengkang. |
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The labour movement yesterday announced a string of measures
worth S$6.4 million to help workers hit by the downturn. The
measures focus on slashing the prices of goods and services
offered by the National Trades Union Congress's (NTUC)
co-operatives, ranging from food to healthcare and insurance. An
immediate move is to cut the prices of about 20 essential items,
such as sugar and cooking oil, sold at Singapore's biggest chain
of supermarkets, NTUC Fairprice, by up to 20 per cent. In
addition, the price of rice will be cut by up to 20 per cent.
The price cuts will last till 31 Aug 2001.(Straits
Times 25 Jul 2001)(1) |
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Energy drink Red Bull contains ingredients and additives that
are safe, according to the Ministry of the Environment. But
the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) recommends that
energy drinks containing caffeine and taurine should not be
drunk with alcohol or used as thirst-quenchers. This is on the
advice given to Case by the Swedish National Food
Administration, following reports of at least three deaths in
Sweden which may have been linked to Red Bull consumption with
alcohol or after strenuous exercise. (Straits
Times 24 Jul 2001) (H5) |
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All 18
stallholders at the soon-to-close Taman Serasi Hawker Centre off
Cluny Road (Botanic Gardens) will move together to the rebuilt
Serangoon Garden Market in a year or so. (Straits
Times 24 Jul 2001)(H5) |
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Upgrading works will
begin at 19 hawker centres around the island this year in the
first batch of the Government's Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme.
Their redevelopment is part of a S$420 million scheme announced in
February which will see all of Singapore's 135 food and market
centres being upgraded over the next ten years.
(Straits Times 13
Jul 2001) (3)
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Sydney: Bottles of premium Australian wine are being given
genetic "fingerprints' in an attempt to foil
counterfeiters. The Australian wine company, BRL Hardy,
unveiled the world's first-ever security seal on Thursday. The
seal uses DNA coding to authenticate the company's flagship
wine, the BBC reported. The seal will be on bottles of the
Eileen Hardy Shiraz from 1 Aug 2001 when the company releases
the 1998 vintage. (Straits
Times 23 Jun 2001) |
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Soy
sauces and other Asian sauces sold in Singapore are safe to eat,
the Ministry of the Environment (ENV) said yesterday. It was
reacting to news that the British government's food-health
watchdog, the Food Standards Agency, had warned consumers and
restaurant owners there to avoid 22 soy sauce products that it had
named. Several are said to contain high levels of chloropropanols,
chemicals which can cause cancer. (Straits Times 22 Jun 2001)
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More than 1,000
vendors want to rent cooked-food stalls at the newly-refurbished
Maxwell Road Food Centre. But there were only 14 cooked-food
stalls available. The winning bids for the 9sm stalls ranged from
S$4,338 to S$6,388 per month. The existing stallholders who used
to pay S$160 a month before the food centre was renovated will
soon have to pay more, to "reflect the better facilities in
the upgraded centre". Details of their new rents will be
announced soon. (Straits Times 15 Jun 2001)
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You can
now cook your own Hainanese chicken rice without any bother.
Singapore's Sin Hwa Dee Foodstuff Industries Pte Ltd on 7 Jun
2001 launched its Hainanese chicken rice mix in a bottle.
More..... |
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Singapore
Food Festival 2001 opens at Suntec City |
| Singapore
has banned the import of meat and dairy products from Ireland
as the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continues to spread in
Europe. The ban includes pasteurised milk, cheese, yoghurt, ice
cream and butter manufactured after 2 Mar 2001. Excluded are
mayonnaise, chocolates, biscuits, evaporated milk, Ultra-Heat
Treatment (UHT) milk and sterilised milk. (Straits Times 24 Mar
2001) |
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Singapore
has banned the import of meat and dairy products from the
Netherlands, as the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continues
to spread in Europe. This follows earlier bans on these products
from Argentina, France and Britain. The ban will affect pork,
mutton and game meats. Import of beef from the Netherlands was
earlier suspended because of the mad-cow disease. (Straits Times
23 Mar 2001) |
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Shoppers
here can now withdraw cash from some supermarkets, department
stores, petrol kiosks and cafes. This new cash- withdrawal
service which was launched on 19 Mar 2001 allows people to
withdraw cash amounts of S$20, S$30 or S$50 from their bank
accounts using Nets. The outlets are the NTUC Fairprice group of
supermarkets, Cheers convenience stores, BP petrol stations,
Metro department store and Delifrance cafes. Outlets with this
service will display a sign: "Nets:CashBack is available
here". (Straits Times 20 Mar 2001) |
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Singapore on 14
Mar 2001 banned meat and dairy imports from France and Argentina
because of the foot- and-mouth disease outbreaks there. The
immediate suspension follows last month's ban on these imports
from Britain. A joint statement from the Agri-Food and Veterinary
Authority and the Environment Ministry said the ban covers all
pork and pork products from France, which make up 5% of the market
here. French beef is already banned because of the mad-cow disease
there. (Straits Times 15 Mar 2001)
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| Over
the next ten years, the government will spend S$420 million to put
in new tiles, tables, and chairs, as well as improve ventilation
and spruce up toilets, in Singapore's hawker centres. Some centres
will be redeveloped with bigger and better layouts, said Acting
Minister for the Environment LIM Swee Say on 18 Feb 2001. (Straits
Times 19 Feb 2001) |
| Roadside
dining is set to make a comeback in Chinatown, when the Singapore
Tourism Board (STB) re-introduces food carts in Smith Street in
August 2001, after a break of nearly 20 years. STB is now looking
for 18 of "the best of the best" hawkers to bring back
the casual charm of roadside dining. (Straits Times 7 Feb 2001)
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2000
Rice
imported into Singapore is not tainted and tests show it is safe to eat,
said the Ministry of Environment (ENV) on 16 Dec 2000 following recent
reports of poisoned rice in China. An ENV spokesman said Singapore
imports only a small amount of rice from China and imports did not
include the "poisoned" grain. (Straits Times 17 Dec 2000)
Guwahati,
India: Indian defence scientists say they have identified the world's
hottest chilli, with a kick that makes the previous Mexican
contender to the title, Red Savina Habanero, seem positively bland by
comparison. "Laboratory tests have confirmed that Naga Jolokia, a
speciality from the north-east, is now the world's hottest chilli,"
said laboratory deputy director S.C. Das. Measured for pungency in
Scoville units, the Naga Jolokia powered in at 855 units, compared with
the 577 units of its rival. (ST 6 Sep 2000)
Takara Grilled Seafood
Stall, at Newton Food Centre, has been suspended for a month from 21
Aug to 20 Sep 2000. One of its stall assistants was caught touting
and harrassing the food centre's customers on 31 Jul 2000.
The Consumers' Association
of Singapore (Case) has decided to investigate fast-food chain Long John
Silver's automatic upsizing practice following a Straits Times report on
9 Aug 2000, "Is Long John Silver's overcharging?" Case has
also referred the matter to the Advertising Standards Authority of
Singapore to investigate whether the chain's posters and signboards are
misleading. About 42 people have complained to Case about Long John
Silver's practice of doling out a larger-sized drink than ordered and
putting it on the bill - without asking customers first.
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