Consumer watchdog urges hawkers to display food prices prominently

Consumer watchdog urges hawkers to display food prices prominently

SINGAPORE - Consumer watchdog CASE is urging all hawkers to display food prices more prominently at their stalls as some stalls did not.

89 out of the 584 food stalls surveyed failed to display food prices prominently, according to a food price survey the watchdog conducted this year.

More than half of the food stalls that did not display the prices were stalls selling mixed vegetable rice.

For stalls that do not display their food prices, consumers will only be able to know the actual price of the food they ordered after it has been packed and handed over to them," said Mr Lim Biow Chuan, President of CASE.

"To help consumers to be more discerning and be able to compare prices, CASE would like to urge all hawkers to display prices prominently at their food stalls," he added.

The survey also found that there was no change in the mode prices compared to last year, or the price most commonly charged by hawkers, for the surveyed food items: Chicken Nasi Briyani, Chicken Rice, Fishball Noodles, Mixed Vegetables (two vegetables and one meat) and Roti Prata (two plain pratas).

But although mode prices stayed the same, more hawkers were charging above mode price.

The biggest jump in prices was for Chicken Nasi Briyani. According to survey results, 47 per cent of Briyani sellers were charging more than the mode price of $5 for dishes this year, compared to 31 per cent last year.

The consumer watchdog also found that take-away charges for the surveyed food items ranged between $0.10 to $0.50, depending on the type of take-out container.

maryanns@sph.com.sg

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