Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Vegetarian Stalls at Hawker Centres by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Vegetarian Stalls at Hawker Centres by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in view of the growing number of residents eating less meat or going on vegetarian or vegan diets, but with some hawker centres not having any vegetarian food stalls, how will the Ministry ensure that there are enough vegetarian food stalls in our hawker centres and food courts.

Answer:

1 The National Environment Agency (NEA) manages hawker centres as community dining spaces that aim to provide a variety of affordable food options for diners.

2 NEA tenders out cooked food stalls under broad categories, such as cooked food, halal cooked food and drinks. Individuals who bid for a stall at our hawker centres can decide on the food items to sell to cater to customer demands.

3 The food options offered would largely be dependent on market demand and what patrons would like to see at the hawker centres, and ultimately, the hawkers themselves have to decide on their food offerings in a manner that ensures the commercial viability of their businesses. Nonetheless, NEA does monitor the spread of stalls and take in feedback to ensure a variety of food at our hawker centres, including for stalls with vegetarian options. We welcome individuals selling vegetarian food to bid for stalls at our hawker centres. We also note that apart from dedicated vegetarian food stalls, stalls selling other food items such as economy rice, rojak or prata can also provide non-meat options.