Major supermarkets to pilot unit pricing for common groceries at some outlets

SINGAPORE: Major supermarkets in Singapore will soon display unit prices for some common grocery items such as rice, meat, eggs, cooking oils, fruits and vegetables.

The pilot will be rolled out at selected outlets run by major supermarket operators NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong and Prime.

This means that in addition to the price of the product, customers will be able to see the unit price, such as the price per litre or per kilogram.

"This will provide consumers with relative price information to guide their purchasing decisions," said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong on Saturday (Mar 15) as he announced the pilot scheme at the Consumer Association of Singapore's (CASE) partners' appreciation dinner.

CASE, along with the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS), will work with major supermarket operators on the pilot scheme.

CCCS will also conduct a market survey to gather feedback from consumers about the display and benefits of unit prices.

"This will inform our guidelines on unit pricing, as well as our plans to roll out unit pricing more widely at a later stage," said Mr Gan, who is also deputy prime minister.

"We hope that the use of unit pricing will improve price transparency, help consumers make choices to stretch their dollar, and deter retailers from pricing gimmicks."

He noted that CASE's Price Kaki app introduced unit pricing two years ago on more than 1,200 grocery products. This has since grown to over 6,000 items, including groceries and household items.

"By displaying the price per unit of measurement of a product, consumers will be able to compare the prices of products across different brands and package sizes more easily," said Mr Gan.

The app has been downloaded more than 170,000 times.

CASE president Melvin Yong, who has called for mandatory unit pricing, said it would help customers "see through pricing gimmicks quickly and easily".

"It is also a useful tool to address shrinkflation," he added.

CONSUMER PROTECTION REVIEW PANEL

Mr Gan also announced that the government has convened a consumer protection review panel to review key consumer concerns in Singapore and consider what more can be done.

"As industry practices change, and as consumer habits, patterns and preferences shift, it is timely for us to undertake a more fundamental review of our consumer protection regime," he added.

Chaired by Mr Yong and former judicial commissioner Foo Tuat Yien, the panel comprises academics, legal representatives and relevant industry leaders.

The panel will study five issues identified through feedback and observations – prepayment losses, online commerce, entertainment events, pressure sales tactics and improving access to recourse.

There was a fourfold increase in prepayment losses reported by consumers last year compared with 2023, with total losses reaching a high of S$1.93 million due to sudden business closures and companies becoming unresponsive after prepayments, Mr Gan said.

"There is therefore an impetus to see how we can mitigate such losses, especially from sectors such as beauty, renovation, and gyms which see higher incidence rates," added the deputy prime minister.

CASE said it will "significantly expand" the number of CaseTrust-accredited renovation contractors to 500 in the next three years to provide customers with greater peace of mind.

To encourage this, CASE will subsidise up to 80 per cent of the costs to obtain such accreditation. There are currently 183 accredited contractors.

E-commerce complaints, which have increased, comprised about 33 per cent of all complaints received in 2024.

Mr Gan said that the panel also needs to study "how to strengthen consumer recourse in the event of failure to fulfill orders, delivery issues, defective or non-conforming goods".

"The panel will consult with key industry stakeholders, study international trends and best practices, and develop recommendations to drive consumer empowerment, raise industry standards, and strengthen regulatory levers where appropriate to our local context," he said.