KF Seetoh decries Government's budget meals initiative as 'abusive' towards hawkers
Singaporean food critic KF Seetoh slammed the government's S$3.50 budget meals initiative as "abusive and stifling," accusing it of bullying hawkers. He argues that high stall rental bidding and the pressure to sell cheap meals without fair compensation threaten hawkers' financial survival despite efforts to offer affordable food options.
SINGAPORE: Singaporean food critic and founder of Makansutra KF Seetoh criticized the government's latest budget meals initiative as "abusive and stifling," accusing it of bullying hawkers.
Despite the government's intention to provide affordable food options for residents, Mr Seetoh argued that hawkers often face high market prices to bid for stalls and are pressured to sell cheap meals without adequate compensation, making it difficult to survive financially.
On 1 July, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) announced that 330 coffee shops in HDB estates would offer budget meals and accept Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers by the end of the month. This includes 180 coffee shops under nine private chain operators.
HDB and EnterpriseSG stated they would continue to engage with operators of privately owned HDB coffee shops to encourage them to provide budget meal options, "while considering their business sustainability."
The private coffee shop chains participating in this initiative are Badaling, Broadway, De Tian, Chang Cheng, FoodFare Kopitiam, Kimly, Kim San Leng, Koufu, and Select. Of the 180 coffee shops, 120 are privately owned, representing nearly 30 percent of privately owned coffee shops in HDB estates.
The remaining 60 are rental coffee shops that will now voluntarily offer budget meals ahead of their lease renewal.
Budget meals include lunch or dinner options priced at S$3.50 (US$2.60) and below, with drinks priced at S$1.20 and below.
According to the joint press release, around 150 rental HDB coffee shops currently offer over 1,000 budget meals and drinks.
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling stated in a Facebook post that the government would continue to support heartland merchants and work closely with F&B businesses to ensure that "Singaporeans will continue to enjoy affordable meal options."
However, in a Facebook post on Saturday (6 July), Mr. Seetoh criticized the latest initiative as "bullying hawkers."
He condemned the government's approach to managing hawkers through social enterprise hawker management companies, arguing that these companies impose a series of unfair rules, charges, and fines on hawkers, forcing them to sell meals at low prices, such as S$3, instead of genuinely helping them.
"It's a joke if that's your idea of lowering cost of living in pay more and more Singapore, at the expense of the viability and survival of these hawkers."
He reiterated his criticism of the hawker stall bidding practice, noting that hawkers pay market prices to bid for a stall, sometimes as high as S$7,000 per month, only to be cornered into selling a S$3.50 main dish by the government, without adequate compensation.
"What did they do to deserve this. Why do you want to interfere in the journey of these humble entry level food business entrepreneurs and hamper creativity?" Mr Seetoh criticised.
He also noted that the budget meal initiative is an ineffective way to lower the cost of living, suggesting that the government should focus on other areas, such as limiting MRT trip costs, to make a real impact.
Expressing his disappointment, Mr Seetoh criticized the government's handling of the Work Group on Sustainable Hawker Trade, initiated in 2020 to support the UNESCO Hawker Culture bid.
He acknowledged the initial effort of gathering industry experts, commentators, and hawkers to create sustainable practices but criticized the lack of substantial implementation.
Despite the high-profile launch, Mr Seetoh claimed that no significant measures were put into practice. Promised initiatives, such as an industry platform for networking, a review of manpower policies for hawker assistants, and an online guided journey for new hawkers, were not implemented.
Instead of supportive measures, Mr Seetoh argued that the government introduced more restrictive and punitive rules and increased operational costs for hawkers.
He warned that Singapore's recognition by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage is at risk.
"I urge UNESCO to overlook the current failings and extend the recognition. But if things remain status quo, I won't blame you if you removed Singapore from the Unesco Intangible Culture listing in 2026."
