3 days ago
'No hawkers have been penalised': Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre says stallholders don't have to provide free meals, Singapore News
Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre has decided to hold back on its Pay-It-Forward initiative where hawkers must provide free meals for the needy each month or risk being penalised.
The issue was first raised by local food critic KF Seetoh on Aug 8, when he posted a screenshot of what appears to be a contract stating the breakdown of the requirement for the hawkers and calling it "forced charity".
Amid public backlash, the management at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre said in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 15) that it will be removing the clauses requiring the provision of free meals when the tenancy agreements are renewed in September.
The hawker centre is managed and operated by Canopy Hawkers Group, a subsidiary of Food Canopy.
It added: "No hawkers have been penalised for not providing free meals under the tenancy agreements and we also do not intend to enforce the obligation in the future."
Seetoh's remarks about hawkers being "contractually forced" to provide budget meals priced up to $3.50 were also addressed.
"To provide residents with a range of offerings at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, we work with our hawkers to offer food options at different price points. This includes more affordable value meals. These value meals do not form a large part of the meals sold, and our hawkers are not expected to make a loss selling value meals," the management added.
Earlier, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Seetoh's concerns regarding the Pay-It-Forward clause did not present the full picture.
In a Facebook post on Aug 11, Ong explained that stallholders had originally agreed to provide 30 meals a month for low-income residents, which had been adjusted to 100 meals over the three-year duration of their lease.
He also noted that the initiative had not commenced: "I appreciate KF Seetoh's concern for our hawkers and share his passion for keeping our hawker culture alive and thriving.
"However, let's do so without putting down anyone, whether they are patrons, hawkers, the hawker centre operator, or government agencies."
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