Singapore’s major supermarket chains—NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong, and Prime—will soon introduce unit pricing at selected outlets. This initiative aims to enhance price transparency by displaying prices per unit (e.g., per litre or per kilogram) alongside the total cost of common grocery items such as rice, meat, eggs, cooking oils, fruits, and vegetables.
What is Unit Pricing?
Unit pricing allows consumers to compare product prices more effectively by standardizing costs based on weight or volume. Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong announced the pilot program at the Consumer Association of Singapore’s (CASE) partners’ appreciation dinner, stating that the initiative will help customers make informed decisions and maximize their purchasing power.
Collaboration with CASE and CCCS
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) and CASE will oversee the pilot program and conduct a market survey to assess consumer feedback. Their findings will inform future guidelines and the potential nationwide rollout of unit pricing.
According to Mr. Gan, CASE’s Price Kaki app, which introduced unit pricing two years ago, has expanded from 1,200 grocery items to over 6,000, demonstrating growing consumer interest in price comparison tools.
CASE President Melvin Yong has advocated for mandatory unit pricing, emphasizing its role in curbing misleading pricing strategies and combatting shrinkflation—where product sizes decrease while prices remain the same.
Consumer Protection Review Panel to Address Key Consumer Issues
In addition to the unit pricing initiative, Singapore has convened a Consumer Protection Review Panel to tackle key consumer concerns, including:
- Prepayment Losses – Addressing the rising number of consumers losing money due to sudden business closures, particularly in industries like beauty, renovation, and fitness.
- Online Commerce – Strengthening protections against order fulfillment failures, delivery issues, and defective goods in e-commerce transactions.
- Entertainment Events – Reviewing consumer rights related to event cancellations and ticketing disputes.
- Pressure Sales Tactics – Examining unethical sales strategies that coerce consumers into making purchases.
- Access to Recourse – Improving consumer rights enforcement and dispute resolution mechanisms.
The panel, chaired by Mr. Yong and former judicial commissioner Foo Tuat Yien, includes industry experts, academics, and legal professionals. The government aims to use the panel’s insights to improve consumer empowerment, industry standards, and regulatory measures.
Singapore’s Push for Local Food Production: The 30 by 30 Goal
Singapore has been striving to enhance food security through its 30 by 30 initiative—aiming to produce 30% of the nation’s nutritional needs locally by 2030. However, recent reports indicate challenges in achieving this target due to rising costs, limited agricultural land, and consumer preferences for imported food.
A Week of Eating Singapore-Grown Produce
To assess the viability of consuming local produce, a recent experiment involved sourcing food mainly from Singaporean farms. The results highlighted both advantages and limitations:
Pros:
- Freshness: Locally farmed seafood and vegetables retained higher nutrient levels.
- Lower pesticide use: Many Singapore-grown vegetables are pesticide-free.
- Higher food security: Supporting local farms reduces reliance on imports.
Challenges:
- Limited variety: Few protein sources beyond fish and eggs.
- Higher costs: Local vegetables and seafood were often more expensive than imported alternatives.
- Availability: Some items, like local fruit, were hard to find in mainstream supermarkets.
Current State of Local Food Production
According to Singapore Food Statistics:
- Vegetable production fell by 15% from 2022 to 2023.
- Seafood production dropped by 8%.
- Egg production, however, exceeded expectations, with local farms supplying 31.9% of consumption.
Future of Singapore’s Agri-Food Industry
Industry experts cite several factors affecting local food production:
- High-tech farming transition: Older farms are closing as new, tech-driven farms emerge.
- Consumer demand: Imported alternatives remain cheaper and more widely available.
- Government support: Initiatives like the Agri-Food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund aim to boost local production over time.
Final Thoughts
While Singapore’s 30 by 30 goal faces challenges, the initiative continues to raise awareness of food security and encourage local food consumption. The combination of unit pricing transparency and consumer protection reforms further strengthens the government’s commitment to empowering consumers in making informed purchasing decisions.
