Food prices up 4.3% but some dips too

From The Straits Times, Feb 14 2008.

By Jessica Lim

PRICES of items commonly found in kitchen larders have generally gone up by 4.3 per cent since last April.

That is more than twice the 2 percentage point increase in the goods and services tax which kicked in last July, a survey by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) has revealed.

Go for frozen food and cut up to 50% off bill

From The Straits Times, Feb 14 2008.

Supermarkets seeing more sales of frozen foods but some people still reluctant to switch

By Jermyn Chow & Jessica Lim

CHOOSE frozen over chilled pork and lop off about half your marketing bill. Ditto when you go for frozen over fresh chicken wings.

Here are the numbers: Chilled pork fillets cost $16 per kg at the market, but frozen ones cost $8; chilled chicken wings go at $7 per kg, but just $4.60 frozen. Price- conscious as Singaporeans are, they have seemed slow to see the math.

Prices up everywhere, but inflation rate for food low here

From The Straits Times, Feb 4 2008

Govt casting net wider to source for food; businesses also helping to limit price hikes

By Theresa Tan

FACTORY operator Loke Yew Whye, a 54-year-old father of three school-going children, is finding it hard to cope with rising food prices.

The family, which survives on about $2,000 a month, which he and his wife earn, has been buying house brands from one of supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice’s Bedok branches to save money.

Most hawkers refrain from upping prices

From The Straits Times, Feb 4 2008

Only one in four has raised prices to cope with higher costs; but some now serve smaller portions

By Tania Tan& Lim Wei Chean

THOSE who sell cooked food are usually not keen on raising their prices, but Madam Chen Yi Ye had to bite the bullet.

Vegetable prices rise

From The New Paper, Feb 2 2008

Higher transport costs to blame

By Liew Hanqing

YOUR shopping basket will be a little more expensive this year, no thanks to a rise in vegetable prices.

Prices are up between 5 and 10 per cent because higher oil prices have made importing vegetables more expensive.

Lunar New Year dinner prices set to rise by at least 10 per cent

From Channel Newasia

SINGAPORE: Be prepared to dig a little deeper into your pockets this Lunar New Year.

Prices for restaurant dinners are set to rise by at least 10 per cent.

Seafood, eggs and duck meat are just some of the food items whose prices have increased by at least a fifth.

And though restaurants have tried to absorb the increase, they said customers should still expect to pay a little more.

The price of the suckling pig has seen the sharpest increase, which has more than doubled, from S$30 to S$80.

Restaurants said this is due to a shortage of supply from China.

Despite the price increases, restaurants said demand has not fallen.

Some are already fully booked for reunion dinner night. -CNA/vm

Singapore Dec inflation estimated up 2.5-4.5 pct on higher food, transport costs

From CNN Money, Jan 17, 2008

SINGAPORE, Jan. 17, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) — Singapore’s consumer price index (CPI) is expected to show a further rise in December after surging to a 25-year high in November, as prices of food and transport continued to climb.

Inflation data will be released by the Department of Statistics on Tuesday.

Economists polled by Thomson Financial expect that CPI for December will be up between 2.5 and 4.5 percent, after rising 4.2 percent in November.

Standard Chartered bank economist Alvin Liew predicted that December inflation will hit 4.3 percent, bringing the average 2007 inflation to 2.1 percent.

No more cheap sugar, flour for Thais and Singaporeans

The New Straits Times, Jan 16, 2008

By : Srihanasham Noordin 

JOHOR BARU: The cabinet may put the brakes today on Singaporeans and Thais who have been taking home controlled food items like sugar, flour and chicken.

It is expected to call a halt to the decades-old practice by people from both countries where the items are more expensive.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal said he would table the matter at the meeting as a measure aimed at preventing a shortage of controlled items in the country.

“If adopted, it will involve all 21 price-controlled food items,” he said at a briefing on price hikes and commodities here yesterday.

Inflation in S’pore may hit 6.5% this month

Straits Times, Jan 15, 2008

Inflation in S’pore may hit 6.5% this month

By Bryan Lee

CONSUMER prices in Singapore may surge a staggering 6.5 per cent this month, bringing full- year average inflation to an equally eye-popping 5 per cent, according to Citigroup.

Higher housing and food costs are likely to cause a spike in price levels this month, while low interest rates may stimulate property prices later in the year, said the Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng yesterday.

Mr Kit said his higher estimate stems from ‘pent-up price pressure from the strong growth of the past two years’.

Prices of CNY goodies to go up

Straits Times, Jan 14, 2008

Prices of CNY goodies to go up

Rising cost of fuel, raw materials to blame for 10-20% rise, say shops

By Lin XinyiBE

PREPARED to spend 10 per cent to 20 per cent more on foodstuffs this Chinese New Year.

Suppliers, manufacturers and retailers have told The Straits Times that the costs of basic ingredients for festive goodies such as pineapple tarts, love letters and kueh bangkit have gone up.

Those in the trade cite the same reasons for the price hike: Increases in raw material costs and in operational costs from higher fuel prices.