Ministerial salary-earning labour chief draws flak for claiming his household saves 25% on grocery bills with FairPrice products

Ministerial-salary earning labour chief, Ng Chee Meng, has drawn criticism after he claimed that his household saves 25 per cent on their grocery bills by opting for FairPrice house brand products.

The ruling party politician made this statement as labour movement-linked NTUC FairPrice pledged on Tuesday (19 Mar) that it would freeze the prices of 100 house brand products for the next 15 months to “help moderate the rising cost of living and protect shoppers from price fluctuations”.

NTUC FairPrice chief executive and PAP MP Seah Kian Peng said that this is the first time the company is freezing the prices of house brand goods for “such a long period”.

Fellow PAP MP and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ng Chee Meng, chimed in and said that the range of products that will have their prices frozen are “of good quality” and will ensure savings of “up to 38 per cent.”

Ng, who serves as the secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), added that his own household saves about 25 per cent on grocery bills by opting for FairPrice house brand products.

Netizens responding to Ng’s remarks on social media flamed the minister and asked why he would need discounts since he earns such a high salary as a PAP minister.

Others also disputed his remarks on the quality of FairPrice goods and pointed out that they could buy higher quality goods at cheaper prices at places like wet markets or Sheng Siong supermarkets: