'Too Many Foreign Chains': Netizens Weigh In On WP's Jamus Lim's F&B Proposal

Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim has called for malls, coffeeshops and hawker centres in Singapore to maintain a minimum share of halal and local food options in their tenant mix.

Speaking during an adjournment motion in Parliament on 6 Oct, the Sengkang MP said Singapore's local F&B scene should be protected from competition by foreign restaurant chains.

Lim added that some foreign chains, including those from China, may have deeper pockets and home-state subsidies that allow them to bid aggressively for rental space.

In some cases, they could potentially operate Singapore outlets as loss leaders while establishing their brands in the region.

Lim then said this could come at the expense of local restaurants that might otherwise have been sustainable.

A minimum share of halal and local options, he said, could act as a "brake" on the rate at which foreign tenants enter Singapore's F&B scene, without imposing a hard quota.

He also proposed other measures to support local F&B operators, including relaxing hiring quotas to allow Malaysians to work as stall assistants and introducing caps on annual rental increases.

Singapore already has policies and regulations in place to support local hawkers.

For example, stallholders at NEA-managed hawker centres must be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, a requirement intended to preserve the local identity and heritage of Singapore's hawker culture.

However, there is currently no blanket quota limiting the number of foreign F&B chains that can enter Singapore, nor any requirement for malls or commercial landlords to maintain a minimum proportion of local F&B tenants.

Under existing regulations, foreign businesses can establish a presence in Singapore by setting up a local company or registering a branch of the foreign company.