Forum: Smaller F&B operators need targeted help with cost of sourcing food

I am writing as a hospitality and food and beverage operator in Singapore in response to a recent Business Times article on local F&B players pushing for more changes in import rules to ease the food cost squeeze.

Singapore’s F&B sector is going through an existential pivot, not just a temporary cost spike.

With more than 90 per cent of our food imported, every global shock flows straight into our kitchens, menus and, ultimately, our guests’ bills.

Small operators feel this most sharply because we lack the purchasing power and buffers that large regional or global brands enjoy.

Recent efforts to diversify food sources and adjust import rules are welcome, but the benefits must be made more accessible to everyday operators, not only major groups.

Three areas could make a meaningful difference: faster approvals for alternative suppliers, clearer and simpler compliance processes, and stronger support for regional sourcing partnerships that stabilise key staples.

These steps will not remove global cost pressures, but they will level the playing field and help viable businesses stay open.

At the same time, operators like myself must do our part: treat menu engineering and waste reduction as weekly disciplines, invest in staff training to control costs and protect guest experience, and use data rather than guesswork to guide pricing decisions.

Policy shifts from the top and disciplined execution on the ground must go hand in hand.

If Singapore can align import policies, industry support and operational excellence, the country can remain a world-class food destination without losing the independent neighbourhood brands that give our dining scene its character.

I hope this perspective from the ground will contribute constructively to the ongoing conversation on how best to support the F&B sector.

Madan Kishor