SINGAPORE – To help Singaporeans locate cheaper meals amid cost-of-living pressures, a new initiative called the Great Budget Meal Hunt, which allows the public to crowdsource meals for $3.50 or less, was officially launched on Jan 16.

Since the pilot of the initiative began in late October 2023, members of the public have submitted more than 1,600 recommendations for budget meals and over 2,500 verifications across about 310 coffee shops islandwide through the CrowdTaskSG portal.

These public recommendations will be added to the BudgetMealGoWhere website from Jan 16, the Housing Board and Government Technology Agency (GovTech) said in a joint statement.

The public can also identify stalls serving budget meals by looking out for a circular budget meal decal on display.

Speaking to the media at City Foodcourt in Bendemeer, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann said the Government is aware that the cost of living, including the price of cooked food, continues to be a very important concern for Singaporeans.

“We also know that members of the public are aware of very affordably priced food and drinks in coffee shops elsewhere, and we want to encourage them to also list these budget meals and drinks on our website,” said Ms Sim.

The BudgetMealGoWhere website (www.go.gov.sg/budgetmeal) allows users to search for the nearest coffee shop budget meal options.

Drinks priced at $1.20 and below are also listed.

Since the site was launched on May 19, 2023, it has received 300,000 unique visitors.

The number of HDB coffee shops that must offer budget meals as part of their lease agreements has increased from 40 at the launch of BudgetMealGoWhere in May 2023 to the current 130.

To participate in the Great Budget Meal Hunt, Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 18 and above with a Singpass account can register as CrowdTaskSG users at https://www.crowdtask.gov.sg/quest/budget-meal

Users can unlock badges and gain stars on the portal by completing challenges.

They can also access the latest statistics on the Great Budget Meal Hunt Info-bites webpage on the CrowdTaskSG portal.

HDB and GovTech said the Government will continue to work closely with food and beverage businesses and operators to expand the implementation of budget meals, while also considering the outlets’ commercial interests.

There are 776 coffee shops in Singapore, of which more than half, or 402, are privately owned.

From 2018 to 2023, 97 per cent of HDB’s 374 coffee shops have not had their rents increased, said the agencies.

Since May 2023, all HDB rental coffee shops have had to offer budget meal options upon their tenancy renewal and, by 2026, budget meals will be offered at all HDB rental coffee shops.

For HDB rental coffee shops leased out through Price Quality Method (PQM) tenders since 2018, their rental rates have also been lower by 27 per cent on average, compared with those awarded under the previous e-bidding system.

The PQM tenders are reviewed on a range of criteria instead of price alone to ensure rents remain sustainable for operators. 

For other HDB rental coffee shops not leased through PQM, HDB will be offering a rental discount of 5 per cent off the market valuation-based renewal rents for one year from the time of the tenancy being renewed.

This is subject to verification that the new budget meals and drinks have been implemented.

Over the past five years, HDB has built 31 new coffee shops. Another 21 are slated to be completed in the next five years, in line with new Build-To-Order developments.

Meanwhile, some privately owned coffee shops have made headlines in recent years after they changed hands for more than $40 million.

Asked if the Government plans to mandate that privately owned coffee shops offer budget meals, Ms Sim noted that several privately owned coffee shops with budget meals are listed on CrowdTaskSG, and that the issue is being studied.

The privately owned coffee shops may eventually have to offer budget meals in order to continue using nearby outdoor seating areas.

“HDB is also studying the conditions with regard to the renewal of use of the outdoor refreshment areas... to see how this can encourage more privately owned coffee shops to provide budget meals,” Ms Sim added.