NTUC FairPrice Sets New Purchase Limits On Frozen Poultry, Canned Goods & Cooking Oil To Prevent Panic Buying
While many businesses are seeing a drop in sales amid the Covid-19 outbreak, at least one business is seeing bustling sales: Supermarkets.
Thanks to the outbreak of panic buying that may be just as virulent as the coronavirus, NTUC Fairprice has imposed measures to ensure every local has access to essential goods.
In a Facebook post on Friday (27 Mar), the supermarket chain announced that they were setting purchase limits to discourage hoarders and online resellers.
FairPrice new purchase limits in response to panic buying
On 17 Mar, MS News reported that NTUC Fairprice set buying quotas as customers stocked up on supplies after Malaysia announced a lockdown.
That was the second time mass panic buying occurred in Singapore, the first time being when the Government declared that we were going to DORSCON Orange.
It resulted in stocks of certain hot items being wiped out for awhile.
Cooking oil, canned food added to the list
On Friday (27 Mar), FairPrice updated the purchase limitations and added cooking oil and canned products, as well as frozen and processed poultry, to the list.
The updated list now includes the following:
- Paper products: 2 packs per customer (toilet paper, facial tissues, kitchen towels)
- Instant noodles / pasta: 2 packs per customer
- Rice: 10kg per customer
- Vegetables: $30 per customer
- Fresh, frozen and processed poultry: $30 per customer
- Eggs: 3 packs of 10 or 1 tray of 30 per customer
- Cooking oil: 5 litres per customer
- Canned products: 6 cans (meat, fish or vegetables) per customer
Note that purchase limits on fresh poultry, vegetables, eggs, and instant noodles are unchanged from previously.
The limits on rice have been tweaked from 2 bags per customer to 10kg per customer.
Sufficient stock in supermarkets
On the same day as the new limits were imposed, FairPrice group chief executive Seah Kian Peng assured Singaporeans in a press release on the supermarket’s website that it had sufficient stockpiles of food and will continue to restock supplies amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
He added that the new purchase limits, like before, were “set slightly higher than what a typical shopper purchases”. They are sufficient to meet the daily grocery needs of an average Singapore family, he also noted.
Customers urged to buy responsibly
Mr Seah encouraged customers to buy responsibly so that locals, especially those who are vulnerable, will have access to groceries.
He also added:
FairPrice will continue to assess the evolving Covid-19 situation closely and will take all necessary precautionary measures.
Shop responsibly
If you’re planning a trip to the grocery store, plan ahead and know your limits.
While NTUC Fairprice has said they have sufficient supplies of food, we must also do our part to shop responsibly, to ensure everyone will have immediate access to basic goods.
Featured image from NTUC Fairprice and ZME Science.
