Cap on prices, thanks to social enterprises

Two social enterprises have been appointed by the National Environment Agency to run hawker centres here so far, as part of efforts to keep food affordable and meet other social objectives.

NTUC Foodfare now manages the hawker centre at Block 208B, New Upper Changi Road, in Bedok, and will also operate the Bukit Panjang hawker centre, slated to open by the end of this year.

Fei Siong Food Management, which manages 107 food outlets and stalls islandwide, will use a social enterprise subsidiary to run the hawker centre at Ci Yuan Community Club in Hougang, which opens next month.

The social enterprises are to operate on a not-for-profit basis, and must ensure a good variety of affordable and hygienic food.

Fei Siong and NTUC Foodfare have promised price caps on some basic hawker fare. Fei Siong will require each stall at the Ci Yuan centre to sell at least two dishes for under $2.80. These include dishes like chicken rice, fishball noodles and economy rice.

It also clarified an online report which claimed hawkers who join its entrepreneurship programme and runstalls at the Ci Yuan centre will get only 25 per cent of the stall's revenue and be removed if sales targets are not met.

Fei Siong said there is no sales target. While participants do get only 25 per cent of the stall's revenue, they do not pay for the costs.

These include table cleaning, pest control, ingredients and rental.

This article was first published on July 11, 2015.
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