SINGAPORE: In a Facebook post, a man inquired if a fried dory fish meal at Jurong Point is worth $9.20. The meal mainly consists of a few pieces of dory fish, mixed vegetables, tempeh, and a cup of rice.
“Just want to know this cost $9.20 cost is reasonable or not?” the man asked. He also informed netizens that he is open for discussion, not to ‘fight’.
Netizens have admitted that the price of the meal is quite pricey. One commenter remarked that the usual price ranges of said dishes range from only $6-$7. Others have remarked that the price is expected, knowing it is from a mall food court and experienced worse.
More users explained that the price is reasonable because the owner must pay their rent, workers, and raw materials for making such meals.
Increase in food prices
According to research, Singapore has been boosting domestic food production through innovative measures.
However, one of the reasons why food prices increase in Singapore is due to the ‘combined impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict’. Since Singapore is heavily reliant on food exports, the country is highly affected by the import and export bans.
“Given Singapore’s high dependence on food-imports, it is expected that global developments of the last two years, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the ban on food export, supply chain disruptions, would have had an adverse impact on domestic food markets in Singapore,” the study stated.
The research also added: “The global food price surge in 2022 was set off in the wake of the mass restrictions and lockdown measures introduced by governments worldwide to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has further intensified the crisis with its concomitant disruptions to food, energy and agricultural input supply chains.”
In recent news
A woman wrote on COMPLAINT SINGAPORE Facebook group that she had placed a takeaway order for salmon soup at Cheng Long Ban Mian (Fish Soup) at Tampines MRT East Link Koufu food court. The salmon fish soup cost $5.80, and she paid another $0.80 for rice.
“This is what I discovered when I reached home. Couldn’t believe my eyes. I understand pic is for illustration but the reality is these are worlds apart,” she wrote and added that she only had “pieces of salmon skin with attached fish residuals.”