X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

1 Dish and Plain Rice Every Meal, That’s How This Family Fights Rising Food Prices

4 min read

Housewife Raihan Ibrahim feels the pinch whenever she shops for groceries near her five-room HDB flat in Bedok. 

Prices of groceries, lamented this 44-year-old to AsiaOne, have gone up markedly in the last few years, especially cooking oil and butter.

So much so that Raihan came up with a savings hack of her own – by opting for frozen ingredients instead of the more expensive fresh ingredients to cope with rising food prices. 

Besides switching to frozen ingredients, Raihan has in her arsenal a more drastic measure, by making her family of four make do with just one dish with rice for every meal.  

“We are okay with that. We don’t need two to three dishes [for every meal],” she added.

You see, even before the pandemic, Raihan has been doing this to cut down on her family’s grocery bill. 

And for good reason too, given today’s climate. 

Fuelled by higher energy and food cost, Singapore’s core inflation jumped to 3.3 per cent year on year in April – the highest level since February 2012.

The core inflation rate, which excludes accommodation and private transport costs, increased from 2.9 per cent in March.

In a CNA report in April, MAS warned that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will have “significant repercussions” on global prices of food, which had already risen to close to record levels before the war. 

Egg Prices up 32.4 per Cent

rising food prices

Image Source: iStock

But how exactly does this affect Singaporeans like Raihan when they do their grocery shopping? 

To get a better idea of how food prices have increased from pre-COVID-19 days, we compared the prices of a few staple consumer items including rice, bread, eggs and cooking oil back in April 2019 to April this year. 

This data is from the Consumer Price Index (April 2022) which measures the average price changes over time of a fixed basket of consumption goods and services commonly purchased by the resident households.

From this data, we found out that the prices of the six items we selected have increased between 1.6 to a staggering 32.4 per cent. (See table below)

Consumer item

April 2019

April 2022

% increase

Premium Thai rice (Per 5kg)

$13.22

$13.43

1.6%

Ordinary white bread (Per 400g)

$1.72

$1.88

9.3%

Whole chicken, chilled (Per 1kg)

$6.38

$7.21

13%

Infant milk powder (Per 100g)

$6.07

$6.31

4%

Hen eggs (per 10)

$2.37

$3.14

32.4%

Cooking oil (Per 2kg)

$6.02

$7.25

20.4%

Partner Stories
TAP Reviews: Zuo Yue Confinement Food, Perfect for Recuperating Postpartum Mums
TAP Reviews: Zuo Yue Confinement Food, Perfect for Recuperating Postpartum Mums
Le Le Takes His First Big Step Into River Wonders' Giant Panda Forest Exhibit
Le Le Takes His First Big Step Into River Wonders' Giant Panda Forest Exhibit
"Mom Talk: Approaching Sex Education with Your Child" Webinar on International Women's Day
"Mom Talk: Approaching Sex Education with Your Child" Webinar on International Women's Day
Not All Health Drinks Are as Healthy as They Claim to Be. Find Out Why
Not All Health Drinks Are as Healthy as They Claim to Be. Find Out Why

Before the pandemic in April 2019, the average cost of a bag of premium Thai rice was $13.22 per five kilograms.

The same bag of rice will set you back $13.43 today, a modest 1.6 per cent increase. 

The price of cooking oil, on the other hand, has gone up nearly 21 per cent, from $6.02 per two kilograms, to $7.25 today.

This price increase is partly due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, where the Black Sea region accounts for a large proportion of global grain and edible oil supplies, CNA reported in March. 

The highest jump goes to eggs – a whopping 32.4 per cent – from $2.37 to $3.14 for a box of 10 eggs. 

This price hike is driven mainly by the rising cost of imported chicken feed, egg suppliers from Malaysia and Singapore told the Straits Times in March.

While the price of chicken has seen a modest 13 per cent increase, it is expected to be even more expensive in the future – following Malaysia’s move to ban exports of the poultry from June 1.

We Still Have to Buy

Before the pandemic, Raihan, with a $50 budget, would be able to buy one item from the list above with $14.22 to spare.

Today, with the price increases, she would only be left with $10.78 now, a drop of 24 per cent in savings. 

Going forward, it seems that there may be little respite for Singaporeans like Raihan, as MAS and MTI said that core inflation is forecast to pick up further in the coming months, reported the Straits Times on May 22. 

This will moderate towards the end of the year as some of the external inflationary pressures recede, they said. 

Despite the jump in prices of food items, Raihan told AsiaOne that consumers like her are left with “no choice since these items are essential”.

“Whether they increase the price or not, we still have to buy,” she said.

To help tide over the global rise in prices, all Singaporean households can collect $100 worth of Community Development Council (CDC) digital vouchers, which they can spend at more than 16,000 participating heartland merchants and hawkers.

$200 in vouchers will be disbursed in early 2023, and another $200 in 2024, with major supermarkets roped in for the next two years, the Straits Times reported. 

This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.

ALSO READ:

Encourage Your Loved Ones to Stay Active With the Apple Watch Family Cycling Experience

7 Hurtful Things You Should Never Say to Your Teen

Why The Ultrasound Can’t Detect Your Baby’s Heartbeat

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

asiaone

  • Home
  • /
  • What's Happening
  • /
  • 1 Dish and Plain Rice Every Meal, That’s How This Family Fights Rising Food Prices
Share:
  • Healthy Meal Ideas for 3 Year Olds

    Healthy Meal Ideas for 3 Year Olds

  • Fruit Juice for Baby: When to Give and How Much Is Too Much

    Fruit Juice for Baby: When to Give and How Much Is Too Much

  • "I'm a Busy Parent": Meal Plan Ideas For Your Children

    "I'm a Busy Parent": Meal Plan Ideas For Your Children

  • Healthy Meal Ideas for 3 Year Olds

    Healthy Meal Ideas for 3 Year Olds

  • Fruit Juice for Baby: When to Give and How Much Is Too Much

    Fruit Juice for Baby: When to Give and How Much Is Too Much

  • "I'm a Busy Parent": Meal Plan Ideas For Your Children

    "I'm a Busy Parent": Meal Plan Ideas For Your Children

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.