Ways to Ensure Availability of Budget Cooked Food and Halal Food Options at HDB Coffee Shops
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling’s inquiry on HDB acting as a budget food anchor operator or centrally sourcing ingredients for small operators. Minister Desmond Lee stated HDB will not directly enter the food industry but requires rental coffee shops renewing tenancies from May 2023 to offer four budget meals and two drinks. To support value, HDB collaborates with agencies like Enterprise Singapore and IMDA to help SMEs improve productivity and make gains. Regarding halal options, Minister Desmond Lee noted that since 2005, rental coffee shops must provide at least one halal stall. Furthermore, the new Budget Meals initiative requires that one of the four budget meals offered must be a halal option.
Transcript
60 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development in order to provide budget cooked food options (a) whether the Ministry has considered (i) being an anchor operator for some budget food types in HDB coffee shops and (ii) to centrally source essential ingredients for small operators to purchase with economies of scale; and (b) how will the Ministry ensure that there are sufficient operators selling halal budget food in each neighbourhood.
Mr Desmond Lee: In March 2023, the Housing Development Board (HDB) announced the Budget Meals initiative to ensure that budget food options are available in HDB estates. As part of this initiative, all rental coffee shops under HDB renewing their tenancies from May 2023 onwards will be required to offer at least four budget meals and two budget drink options.
HDB is not considering direct participation in the food and beverage industry as there is no lack of enterprises within the sector. Moreover, it would involve a significant departure from HDB's core mandate. However, HDB will continue to work closely with economic agencies, such as Enterprise Singapore and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), to facilitate the upgrading of capabilities among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the heartlands, including those in the food and beverage industry, so that they can continue to make productivity gains and offer better value to consumers.
Since 2005, it has been a requirement for HDB rental coffee shops to provide at least one halal stall. As part of the new budget meal requirement, one of the four proposed budget meals is required to be a halal meal.