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In 2006, the export of frozen raw chicken from Thailand and China was suspended because of a bird flu outbreak. -- ST PHOTO: STEVEN LEE CT
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THAT Hainanese pork chop on your dinner table could soon hail from the Philippines or even as far as Chile.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is considering applications from slaughterhouses in both countries to sell frozen pork here, part of a government plan to diversify the country's food supply.
Recent outbreaks such as bird flu, along with the wide-reaching fallout of climate change, have prompted AVA to look further afield for food supplies, said spokesman Goh Shih Yong.
'We believe in taking no chances. Food safety is of paramount importance,' he said.
In 2006, for example, the export of frozen raw chicken from Thailand and China was suspended because of a bird flu outbreak.
Similar scares have prompted AVA to look to meat producers in South America.
In 2004, Brazil passed Malaysia as the top supplier of poultry to Singapore. It now provides for half of the country's needs. New Zealand is also a new source of poultry, having gotten approval from AVA officials two years ago.
Diversification has also kept food prices stable, a key concern today with crop shortages worldwide; this was also a topic touched on by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his New Year message this year.
Last year, food prices were 2.9 per cent higher than in 2006, going by the consumer price index (CPI).
AVA has looked beyond traditional sources like Malaysia and China for vegetables. The supply of greens now also comes from Vietnam and Indonesia.
And NTUC FairPrice is doing the same with rice - buying from Vietnam, which is 20 per cent cheaper than Thai rice.
Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
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