Affordable hawker food has always been a feature of life in both countries. CNA explores the challenges in offering budget meals and whether they are nutritious.
SINGAPORE / KUALA LUMPUR: At S$2.80 , the kway teow soup which CNA’s reporter ordered from a noodle stall in Tampines was considered cheap. But it had little other than rice noodles in it - the one leaf of lettuce and sprinkling of minced pork floating in the broth seemed more like a garnish.During the period, the reporter visited coffee shops in relatively new HDB neighbourhoods in Tampines, Woodlands, Bukit Batok West, Yishun and Toa Payoh.
Over in Malaysia, another CNA reporter was at a food court along the North-South Highway in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. The nasi ayam penyet stall at the Ayer Keroh rest stop only sells 20 sets of Menu Rahmah meals a day. In Singapore, the Ministry of National Development announced in March that all coffee shops leased from the Housing & Development Board are required to offer budget meals by 2026, among other initiatives.
Food inflation was even steeper at 8.1 per cent - also a 14-year high. Data from the Department of Statistics show that the average price of nine out of 10 items of hawker food and drinks rose in the last 12 months.A plate of chicken rice cost S$3.63 on average in February last year and was S$4.09 this February, while the price of a bowl of mee rebus went up from S$3.40 to S$3.73.
Part of the Madani Malaysia concept is “Payung Rahmah”, or compassionate umbrella programme to mitigate the cost-of-living crisis affecting low-income earners. Compared to the e-bidding system before, the PQM tenders have reduced rents for new coffee shops by an average of 27 per cent since 2018, said MND.MND has since announced that the scheme will be expanded and all coffee shops leased from the HDB are to offer budget meals.
Ms Sim has also said that while the rest of the coffee shops are run by private operators, MND has asked the major coffee shop chains to meet for discussions. “It’s CSR and we are serving the community. I believe that the more you give, the more blessings you receive in different ways. It makes your soul happier,” he said.“Compared with what Singapore is doing, we are better off with a different approach. Forcing businesses to offer cheap budget meals is like shoving things down their throats.
“We stick to our original plan, which is a mutual understanding between industry players and KPDN, and this mutual understanding remains and we will never enforce it on anyone. It is based on the values of Rahmah , by industry players and businesses,” Mr Salahuddin told CNA.On the ground, there are various challenges in implementing budget meal schemes, with the traders struggling with cost issues.
Hawkers from two stalls in Punggol, which had S$3 oyster sauce vegetables as budget meals, said that they had just been told by the coffee shop operator to change them to main dishes and hadn’t had time to adjust their menu. "So far the hawkers have been cooperative, they will suggest a meal ... On our side, we make sure that it is within the budget yet in terms of portioning, they don't compromise," said the spokesperson.
He could have sold carrot cake at S$3, he said, but no longer offers the dish as he cannot find a stall assistant, and can’t handle so many dishes alone.Uncle Peter Hokkien Mee stall at a Bidadari HDB-owned coffee shop. "We understand that operators and stallholders may sometimes face operational difficulties in implementing the budget meals.
Some retailers told CNA that factors like the increasing costs of raw produce like chicken, eggs, rice and vegetables could make it untenable to continue offering cheap budget meals. “I don’t understand how the government can expect us to continue doing this, selling meals for RM5. We don’t get any profit margin,” he added.Mr Hussein Ibrahim, secretary of the Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association told CNA that most of the association's members have paused selling Menu Rahmah during Ramadan due to a lack of demand. Most Perusim members operate eateries in the southern state and offer Menu Rahmah in the form of nasi kandar or nasi lemak.
“Moderating inflation is among the quick wins we have achieved from the Menu Rahmah initiative. Based on our feedback sessions with residents, it's very clear that the B40 and the M40 are very thankful,” said Mr Salahuddin. “This may mislead the public to think that these food items were part of the protein sources. However, these food items are a poor source of protein and are high in sodium,” said the lecturer from Temasek Polytechnic's School of Applied Sciences.
In February, opposition lawmaker Halimah Ali sparked controversy when she appeared to suggest that Menu Rahmah options are of low quality and could expose consumers to cancer, autoimmune diseases as well as autism. Mr Rosli of the Bumiputera Petty Traders Association acknowledged that some of the association members have no choice but to offer fried fish or fried chicken over steamed or grilled options as these food items tend to last longer without going bad. Most members of the association are food retailers in the Klang Valley.
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