In a bid to raise greater awareness amongst local consumers of quality home-grown food products, NTUC FairPrice, together with International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and the Singapore Manufacturer’s Federation (SMa) today announced the return of Tasty Singapore Fair. The Tasty Singapore Fair will run from 30 September to 13 October at all FairPrice supermarkets, FairPrice Finest stores and FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets, and will feature local favourites like Laksa, Satay and Roti prata.

“Singaporeans love local food and we are offering it conveniently at their neighbourhood FairPrice store. As a home-grown brand ourselves, starting with just one supermarket back in 1973 to over 95 supermarkets now, we want to be able to help fellow local brands grow as well. As such, we are proud to be able to support our Singapore partners in expanding their footprint in the local market,” said Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO (Singapore), NTUC FairPrice.

The Tasty Singapore Fair will feature some 30 food products including authentic Singapore ready-to-cook sauces and pre-mixes such as Bak Kuet Teh, canned drinks, bread, instant noodles and beverages and an assortment of frozen food. Six of FairPrice’s housebrand products which are made by local manufacturers are also participating in this fair.

Commenting on the Tasty Singapore Fair, Mr Tan Soon Kim, Group Director of IE Singapore’s Lifestyle Business Group said, “Tasty Singapore Brand Ambassadors have managed to be successful overseas because of their high standards of food quality, diverse and innovative offerings. It is heartening to see such strong support from NTUC FairPrice for Tasty Singapore Brand Ambassadors. We believe the continued support from the retailer will further strengthen the brand equity of Tasty Singapore”

One of the Tasty Singapore Ambassadors, Prima Taste, which produces ‘Singapore Favourites’ in ready-to-cook pastes like Prima Laksa paste and Prima Singapore curry paste, has seen significant growth in Asia. From 2006 to 2010, the brand enjoyed more than 60% growth in Hong Kong and over 3-fold increase in sales volume in Taiwan. Likewise, another Ambassador, Tat Hui, a leading manufacturer of branded instant noodles such as Koka, has experienced good average annual growth of 20% – 30% from 2006 to 2009, in key markets such as the Middle East and Europe.

Led by IE Singapore, Tasty Singapore food promotions and food shows have been making their rounds in notable retailers and restaurants in major markets overseas. For instance, Singapore food products were introduced as part of a special menu in Sweden’s Berns Salonger, one of their most reputed restaurants for a promotion, and showcased at a recent mega Singapore Food Promotion campaign in Guangdong, Beijing and Shanghai.

SMa will also be leading an upcoming Tasty Singapore food promotion in Bangkok, Thailand. Supported by IE Singapore, the event will mark Tasty Singapore’s first entry into Bangkok’s retail outlets. The food promotion will be held in 39 TOPs supermarket outlets from 1 – 26 October 2010. Singapore’s ambassador to Thailand, His Excellency Mr Peter Chan will be launching the Tasty Singapore food promotion on 1 October at Thailand’s Central Mall, Central Food Hall. Over 20 Tasty Singapore brands with close to 140 products will be showcased.

Riding on Tasty Singapore to brand Singapore’s unique tastes in overseas markets is becoming the latest trend amongst manufacturers and exporters who are venturing offshore to capture wider and new market opportunities in ASEAN and China.

Industry Champion of Tasty Singapore, Mr Sunny Koh, who is also a Chairman of SMa F&B industry group and Managing Director of Chinatown Foods Corporation, advocated that this collective effort to engage local food manufacturers and exporters overseas is a value-added proposition in terms of variety of products and savings in resources and time.

Mr Koh also shared that, “Overseas consumers can not only have easier access to these new Singapore products at the nearest supermarkets, but are also assured of its quality and safety. In bringing them closer, our local manufacturers and exporters will be motivated to offer Tasty, Quality and Safe food, at competitive prices and tastes catered for overseas tastebuds.”

The Tasty Singapore Fair is another of FairPrice’s initiatives to help local companies grow their brand in the Singapore market. Last year during the downturn, FairPrice initiated the SME Assistance Programme and allocated $30million to help local SMEs ease their cash flow. More than 350 SME suppliers participated in this programme which entitled them to a reduction in payment terms, discounts on listing fees and advertisements, and assistance in local promotions.