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(1) Daniel Tan, (2) Ackley Tan, (3) Tse Ming Hon, (4) Sri, (5) Deva Darshini
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Group 2 (Fast Food Restaurants In Singapore)
(1) Daniel Tan, (2) Ackley Tan, (3) Tse Ming Hon, (4) Sri, (5) Deva Darshini
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Daniel Tan
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1. Good attempt has been made to narrow the focus of your analysis to the Fast Food industry.
2. You could give examples of companies in the industry and describe how they coped with the lockdown and other restrictive measures.

3. Other things to discuss include contributions made by the fast food industry to the overall economy, and how the support measures given by the government helped the fast food industry.

4. Condense the main points from your micro and macro analysis and prepare your PowerPoint slides for the presentation.

Cheers!
Josh Nathan

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Singapore's sharpest fall in employment in more than 20 years borne by non-resident workers.

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SINGAPORE: Singapore recorded its sharpest fall in total employment in more than two decades in 2020, with non-resident workers accounting for all of the employment decline, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday (Mar 16).

Total employment, excluding foreign domestic workers, contracted by 166,600 last year, according to the Labour Market Report 2020 released on Tuesday. The number of employed non-residents fell by 181,500 last year.

Resident - Singaporeans and permanent residents - employment grew by 14,900, and rebounded to "slightly above pre-COVID levels" as a result of improvements in the second half of the year.

The decline is the largest since public records started in 1991, with the next largest fall of 30,600 seen in 1998 during the Asian Financial Crisis.

"I think in the forthcoming months, we see that the economy has turned the corner, the job market has turned the corner, but I think it is wise for us to keep in mind that the risk factors do remain," said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, commenting on the Labour Market Report after a visit to Giant Hypermart in Tampines.

Unemployment rates have fallen since November and have continued to fall in December and January this year, she added. The number of workers on short work-weeks or temporary lay-offs continued to fall, from 34,240 in the third quarter of 2020 to 8,710 in the fourth quarter, according to the report.

Elaborating on the risk factors, Mrs Teo said that borders are still not reopening significantly and that will weigh on an externally connected economy like Singapore's.

She also cautioned that some Government support schemes such as the Jobs Support Scheme are tapering off, even as other schemes, such as the Jobs Growth Incentive, are picking up speed.

"Some support level is still there, but nonetheless, we have to watch what happens to the job market as these schemes transferred from one to the other," she said.

She also highlighted that as people move into new jobs, there will always be some "friction", as both job seekers and employers evaluate if they are the "right fit" for each other.

"The SG United Traineeship as well as the company attachment programme essentially is to try and bridge these kinds of gaps where both jobseeker and employer are not very sure about each other," she said.

"This is the whole idea: To try and make those job matches happen."

Resident employment trends were mixed across different sectors, with the largest contractions in tourism and aviation-related sectors, which were severely affected by travel restrictions and safe distancing measures. Resident employment grew in some industries, including public administration and education, health and social services, as well as finance and insurance services.

Non-resident employment fell in all sectors, with the bulk in construction and manufacturing. The decline was mainly driven by holders of work permits and other work passes, said MOM, with a decrease of 138,800. This was followed by a fall of 26,000 S pass holders and 16,700 employment pass holders.

Overall unemployment rate rose from 2.3 per cent in 2019 to 3 per cent in 2020. Resident unemployment also grew from 3.1 per cent in 2019 to 4.1 per cent in 2020, while citizen unemployment went up from 3.3 per cent in 2019 to 4.2 per cent in 2020.

Although the annual average unemployment rates rose in 2020 compared to 2019, they did not exceed levels recorded during the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the global financial crisis in 2009. In the last two months of 2020, monthly unemployment rates had started to fall, said MOM.

RETRENCHMENTS RISE
"We're not out of the woods yet, but we see broad improvements in the labour market," said Mr Aubeck Kam, Permanent Secretary for MOM.

The number of retrenchments for the whole of 2020, at 26,110 workers, was more than double of 2019, when there were 10,690 retrenchments.

But the incidence of retrenchment in 2020, at 12.8 retrenched per 1,000 employees, was lower than in past recessionary years, which averaged 22.5 per cent retrenched per 1,000 employees. This is after taking into account increases in the size of the labour force over the years.

The rate of retrenchment for resident workers was 11.1 per 1,000 resident employees while the rate of non-resident workers being retrenched was 15.7 per 1,000 non-resident employees.

Overall, the re-entry rate among retrenched residents in 2020 was 62 per cent, slightly lower than 64 per cent in 2019, although there was an improvement in the final quarter of the year, said MOM.

The impact of the retrenchments varied across industries, age and gender.

The report said that the pandemic had a larger impact on industries with a higher concentration of non-PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), such as in retail, accommodation and food and beverage services.

Singaporeans and permanent residents working as clerical, sales and service workers were most prone to retrenchments in 2020.

Resident workers with educational qualifications of secondary and below saw a "much sharper increase in the incidence of retrenchment than other educational groups" over the year, said the report.

Mrs Teo said that in Singapore the recovery in the labour market has been "quite broad-based", with rank-and-file resident workers also getting back to work in recent months.

"We are quite mindful of the fact that it may still not be their preferred jobs ... at the point in time when we were dealing with this in 2020, it was more important to help them to stay in the workforce than to be forced to exit," she said.

Among resident workers, women were also more prone to retrenchment than men in 2020, unlike preceding years when men typically had a higher incidence of retrenchment, said the report.

"This was due to an increase in female share of resident retrenchments (from 45 per cent to 50 per cent) over the year, mainly in arts, entertainment and recreation and retail trade, industries which were more affected by COVID-19 measures and where females were over-represented," added the report.

The MOM report also found older residents in their 50s were most prone to retrenchment, relative to other age groups. While all age groups saw a broad-based increase in the incidence of retrenchment over the year, older residents aged 50 and over, as well as younger ones aged below 30 saw the largest increase.

The number of seasonally-adjusted job vacancies rose to 56,500 in December 2020, a high last seen in March 2019.

"This partly reflects the government support measures to encourage hiring," said MOM.

The Singapore economy is expected to see a gradual recovery over the course of the year, although the pace of recovery "is likely to be uneven across sectors", it added.

"Labour market conditions remain uncertain although we have started 2021 on a firmer footing than in 2020," said MOM. "Labour market recovery may be gradual and uneven across sectors."

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Singapore's sharpest fall in employment in more than 20 years borne by non-resident workers: MOM

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(Updated: ) Share this content SINGAPORE: Singapore recorded its sharpest fall in total employment in more than two decades in 2020, with non-resident workers accounting for all of the employment decline, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday (Mar 16).

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Macroeconomics Preliminary Analysis (Based on the key sources of information)

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Macroeconomics Preliminary Analysis (Based on the key sources of information)

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1. GDP (Deva Darshini and Ming Hon)
Positive prediction in real GDP: market value of the food and beverage industry should slowly increase as the nation combats Covid-19
- Singapore’s real GDP growth forecast for 2021 is an improvement of between 4% to 6%.
- Despite the current pandemic, Singapore decided to maintain and follow through with the forecast implemented.
- Even though Covid-19 has caused a huge decline in sales of goods and service-providing industries such as the fast food industry, there have been developments in the economic environment to maintain the 2021 forecast range.
- Such developments include further progress in the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. This has then resulted in the faster return of pre-Covid times, allowing fast food restaurants to open fully and cater to customers easily once again.
- According to Singapore’s GDP in 2020,  only 1.2% of contributions were made by the food and beverage industry (including fast food restaurants).
- Developments in the fast food industry include strengthening their food delivery sectors to allow customers to still get their food while at home and this will help contribute to 2021’s GDP.
- However, the overall GDP might not be as high. Based on 2020’s GDP, the main contributors to the GDP are manufacturing and trading industries (21.5% and 15.8%). As such, with the current pandemic causing the closure of borders, trade imports and exports will be greatly reduced so this will explain the low increase in GDP.
In the fast food and industry,
- Likely increase in consumption due to more stable food delivery options.
- Likely increase in consumption due to strong demand from customers that are stuck at home.

2. General Price Trends In Singapore (Ackley)
Falling prices observed in Singapore, with SG’s CPI falling by 0.2% in 2020, a reversal to the 0.6% increase In 2019.
- Falling sales mentioned, caused by the dampening of demand-pull inflation.
- However, the Singapore Manufactured Product Price Index rose 8.8% from April 2020 – April 2021

3. Labour Market Situation (Sri and Daniel)
Increasing unemployment and the F&B industry was atrocious
- The F&B industry was the bad hit by the COVID19 pandemic and letting go of the staff to survive the F&B businesses which is quite challenging for everyone despite this pandemic.
- The food and beverage services saw the decrease of 22900 workers. Also, the food and beverage services industry is expected to see the significant monthly wage declines because of a fall in the working hours.
- When economy reopened with the resumption of dine-ins after the circuit breaker period of the COVID19 outbreak, a lot of F&B operators found themselves struggling with the labour crunch.
- In F&B business, all the jobs were never interesting to the Singaporeans due to the long working hours and shift work requirements. This can cause unemployment to be rising as well as lack of manpower of the F&B jobs in Singapore.
- F&B operators are looking at how to minimize manpower needs through digitalization and revamping work processes. Still, they are simplifying the process and automation which can only go so far as the F&B industry remains a service-oriented industry.
- The unemployment rate for youths was 10.6 per cent in 2020 due to COVID19 pandemic in Singapore.
- Due to the difficult COVID19 pandemic in 2020, all the young persons (including teenagers and youths) found it hard to find part time and temporary jobs such as food and beverage (including fast food) industry in Singapore while or before studying in schools.

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1. Outlook for the Singapore F&B Industry
https://bizbeat.nus.edu.sg/thought-leadership/article/outlook-for-the-singapore-fb-industry/

2. Singapore Consumer Price Index
https://www.singstat.gov.sg/-/media/files/news/cpi-jul-dec2020.pdf

3. Singapore Manufactured Product Price Index
https://www.singstat.gov.sg/-/media/files/publications/economy/smppiapr21.pdf

3. Singapore's youth unemployment rate higher in 2020 compared to previous economic downturns
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapores-youth-unemployment-rate-higher-2020-compared-previous-economic-downturns

4. Singapore Department Statistics
https://www.singstat.gov.sg/

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Construction, F&B services in Singapore see biggest employment declines in Q2

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The coronavirus pandemic has hit businesses and workers hard, with those in the consumer-facing and tourism-related sectors bearing the brunt of the hit, as well as those affected by temporary work stoppages.

These sectors include manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services, and arts, entertainment and recreation, according to the labour market report for the second quarter out yesterday.

They were also the most affected by the circuit breaker and safe distancing measures, the report noted.

The construction sector saw one of the largest declines in employment, by 13,600 workers, while food and beverage services saw a plunge of 22,900.

The retail trade industry shed 8,000 workers while the arts, entertainment and recreation sector saw employment fall by 7,600.

Administrative and support services also saw worker numbers fall by 7,600, while the outwardoriented wholesale trade sector lost 7,900 workers as weak external demand weighed on employment.

There were also 8,900 fewer workers in manufacturing, which saw declines in all sub-sectors except electronics.

On the other hand, sectors that were considered essential services or where remote work was more likely were less affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, the information and communications sector lost only 700 workers in the second quarter. Financial and insurance services also saw a drop of 700 workers, while health and social services shed 1,400 people.

Employment even increased by 1,000 in electronics manufacturing.

Indeed, rather than shedding workers, insurer Great Eastern hired more than 200 new joiners in corporate roles from January to last month. It also hired more than 500 financial representatives from April to the end of last month.

But on the other end of the spectrum, workers at construction firms had their labour halted, especially during the circuit breaker months.

Straits Construction executive director Kenneth Loo said some staff were put on forms of compulsory leave. Other firms also cut workers' pay.

"We were mindful of government support but it did not cover the full extent of our exposure to the blow. There was virtually no revenue for the sector," he added.

In terms of foreign employment, the decline was sharper than local decreases in sectors such as manufacturing and construction.

However, the decline in local employment was higher than for their foreign counterparts in services, led by cutbacks in accommodation and food services, wholesale and retail trade, and arts, entertainment and recreation.

But when adjusted in relation to the size of the workforce, the local rate of decline in services was much lower than that for foreigners.

The rise in retrenchment over the quarter also hit outward-oriented sectors such as wholesale trade more, with an increase also seen in manufacturing, particularly in transport equipment and financial services.

The report noted that those laid off in manufacturing were mostly professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). But retrenchments in financial services and wholesale trade affected non-PMETs more.

There were also sharp increases in short work weeks and temporary layoff arrangements, especially in construction, manufacturing and services. This reflected reduced visitor arrivals and domestic consumption, the report said.

These arrangements largely affected production and related workers, who were placed on temporary layoffs following the closure of workplaces during the circuit breaker. Some PMETs and clerical, sales and service workers were also made to work shorter hours instead.

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Construction, F&B services in Singapore see biggest employment declines in Q2

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The coronavirus pandemic has hit businesses and workers hard, with those in the consumer-facing and tourism-related sectors bearing the brunt of the hit, as well as those affected by temporary work stoppages. These sectors include manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services, and arts, entertainment and recreation, according to the labour market report for the second quarter out yesterday.

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No takers for 1,000 F&B jobs, says restaurant association

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SINGAPORE: Some restaurants have been on the lookout for workers to fill about 1,000 positions as business picked up with the return of dine-in services, but for more than a month, there have been no takers.

These positions were made available as early as Sep 14, when Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) is working with its members to provide more than 1,000 job opportunities to retrenched staff from Singapore Airlines (SIA).

According to the RAS on Friday (Oct 30), none of the positions offered has been taken up.

The jobs cut across front-end and back-of-house roles which include service crew, kitchen helpers, chefs and managers, it added. Salaries range from S$1,300 to S$7,000 a month.

The RAS has been working directly with SIA on promoting the vacancies, its spokesperson told CNA.

Besides the aviation sector, the association is also working with Workforce Singapore (WSG), as well as the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and its Employment and Employability Institute, to attract those who lost jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors to make the switch to food and beverage (F&B).

While higher-skilled managerial roles such as outlet managers will require some relevant experience, F&B operators are "willing and open to training newcomers" for service-related roles, said RAS.

BREWING MANPOWER CRUNCH

"So far, unfortunately, we have not received positive responses from companies within these sectors," the spokesperson added.

The F&B industry was among the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when dine-in services were banned during the "circuit breaker", pushing businesses to let go of employees to survive.

Minor Food Singapore, for instance, had to let go of 10 per cent of its foreign manpower as it tried "to protect as many (local) jobs as possible", its chief executive Dellen Soh said.

"During the circuit breaker, there was a lot of restructuring and many in the F&B industry were operating on very lean manpower just to survive and pull through that period," Mr Soh added.

But as the economy reopened with the resumption of dine-ins, many F&B operators found themselves struggling with a labour crunch.

The implementation of safe management measures, for one, required dedicated manpower, said RAS.

These could range from temperature taking to reminding customers of rules such as putting their masks back on when they are no longer eating. For others, it could involve a bigger change in operations.

Ms Bonnie Wong, chief operations officer of Creative Eateries, cited one of the group's brands - Japanese buffet restaurant Suki-Ya - as an example.

"The restaurant used to be self-service but today, we serve customers everything at their tables. So we suddenly require a lot more manpower but that is not something we can find overnight," she said.

F&B businesses told CNA that even in a grim labour market with rising unemployment, they have had little luck hiring Singaporeans.

Creative Eateries has been exploring "all avenues to get resumes" such as joining job fairs and getting recommendations from business partners, but some of its new hires threw in the towel after the first day or simply did not show up. The company still has about 40 vacancies at the moment.

"We hire people on a weekly basis but it's really hard to find people who stay," said Ms Wong.

Mr Soh said F&B jobs were never popular among Singaporeans to begin with, due to the long working hours and shift work requirements. The pandemic and its impact on jobs hardly shifted the needle.

"It's funny that some sectors are retrenching but we are struggling to find workers ... With the current situation, you can see that F&B jobs are really not on top of the minds of Singaporeans even when there's high unemployment."

Getting foreign workers, which the industry has been reliant on, is now an uphill task.

RAS said businesses have faced difficulties renewing work pass applications for their foreign workers, with border controls adding to the hiring challenge.

There is also the tighter dependency ratio ceiling (DRC), which refers to the proportion of foreigners a company is allowed to hire, and a higher salary threshold for S Passes to contend with.

Currently, the F&B services sector faces a 38 per cent DRC and 13 per cent S Pass sub-DRC, which will drop to 35 per cent and 10 per cent respectively in January next year.

Meanwhile, the minimum qualifying salary for S Passes, which are for mid-skilled staff, went up by S$100 to S$2,500 last month. It marked the second increase this year.

"All these are unfortunately happening at a time when things are picking up and most of us are trying our best to make up for what has been lost in the past six months," said Mr Soh, whose company is looking to hire at least 50 people.

New openings in the industry will also compound the manpower situation.

"Forward-looking F&B companies take this opportunity during COVID-19 to pivot and expand their business to better position themselves for the economic upturn when it comes," said the RAS spokesperson.

All these mean that the labour shortage could only get worse, especially when Phase 3 of the economic reopening comes around.

"Usually around the year-end, there will be many company dinners, award or gala dinners but without these, all the service crew for that are now part-timing in restaurants. If Phase 3 comes and such events are allowed to resume, hotels will start hiring and these part-timers that we have will be gone as well," said Ms Wong.

"Even those in F&B and hospitality that are still sleeping temporarily, like the bars and caterers, could come back alive in Phase 3. The demand (for manpower) will only keep going up."

F&B operators are already looking at how to reduce manpower needs through digitalisation and revamping work processes.

For example, the menu at Minor Food Singapore's newly opened western grill restaurant was crafted with "simpler" kitchen processes in mind.

"We have to reengineer the menu to make the kitchen preparation processes much simpler so that even less-experienced workers can fulfil the tasks," said Mr Soh.

"The important process - cooking - will still be fulfilled by the chefs but instead of hiring five experienced cooks, I can now hire three chefs and have kitchen helpers do the rest."

Still, simplifying processes and automation can only go so far as the F&B industry remains a service-oriented industry.

Said Ms Wong: "We are already rolling out self-ordering at our restaurants but this is a fine balance as customers still want to feel like they are taken care of."

A mindset shift among workers will still be needed.

"The F&B sector offers exciting careers with a diverse range of roles, from service-related roles to managerial roles, giving our workforce the opportunity to build a meaningful career," said the RAS spokesperson.

"While F&B companies continue to redesign and improve their operations workflow and job roles, it is important to note that a societal culture shift in a service mindset has to happen," he added.

"Contrary to other societies where service roles are treated with dignity and respect, perhaps we need to start such mindshare early, perhaps even when they are still in their teens."

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On how it will fill the vacant positions, RAS said it continues to work with various partners, including WSG and NTUC, to "extend the job opportunities in the F&B sector to the wider public".

It is also in the midst of working with WSG to organise an F&B-focused virtual career fair to reach out to those who are keen on a career in the industry.

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No takers for 1,000 F&B jobs, says restaurant association

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(Updated: ) Share this content SINGAPORE: Some restaurants have been on the lookout for workers to fill about 1,000 positions as business picked up with the return of dine-in services, but for more than a month, there have been no takers.

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Singapore Economy Statistics (GDP)

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An animated overview of the Singapore economy, presenting the latest GDP, growth and industry breakdown, latest data and partners in investments in Singapore and abroad, profile of enterprises, and latest data and partners in trade in goods and services. This infographic is based on data compiled by the Department of Statistics, other government agencies and statutory boards.

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Singapore maintains 2021 GDP forecast as economy contracts 5.4% last year, less than advance estimates

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SINGAPORE: Singapore has maintained its growth forecast for 2021 at 4 to 6 per cent after an improved earlier estimate for last year's gross domestic product (GDP), said the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Monday (Feb 15).

The economy shrank by 5.4 per cent in 2020, slightly better than the advance estimate of a 5.8 per cent contraction and above the Government's forecast range of -6 to -6.5 per cent.

Nonetheless, this is Singapore's first annual contraction since 2001 and its worst recession since independence.

Last week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the bulk of Singapore's economy is expected to recover this year but some sectors - such as transport, tourism and aviation - may take a longer time to do so.

MTI said it had taken into account developments in the global and domestic economic environment for the decision to maintain its 2021 forecast range.

For instance, there has been further progress in the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines since its last economic survey in November.

Although the speed of vaccine deployment varies, advanced economies like the US and Eurozone are likely to reach population immunity by the second half of this year, which should spur their economic recoveries, MTI said.

On the other hand, growth prospects for regional economies such as Malaysia and Indonesia have weakened due to the recent resurgence in infections.

"On balance, as the positive developments in the key external economies broadly offset the negative ones, Singapore's external demand outlook remains largely similar compared to three months ago," the ministry said in its report.

MTI also flagged several uncertainties and risks that remain in the global economy.

These include significant uncertainty surrounding the course of the pandemic and the trajectory of the global economic recovery, the risk of financial system stresses that could emerge from a protracted economic recovery and continued geopolitical uncertainty involving the major economies.

Domestically, MTI said Singapore's COVID-19 situation remains under control and its vaccination programme is under way. But the pace of border reopening has slowed amid the global surge in COVID-19 cases and the emergence of more contagious COVID-19 strains.
OUTLOOK FOR SECTORS
Therefore against this external and domestic backdrop, the Singapore economy is expected to see a gradual recovery over the course of the year, although the outlook remains uneven across sectors, it added.

First, the outward-oriented sectors are likely to benefit from the pick-up in external demand. The manufacturing sector, in particular, is set to expand at a faster pace than previously projected due to robust semiconductor demand from the 5G and automotive markets.

The information and communications, and finance and insurance sectors are also expected to continue to post steady growth, supported by sustained enterprise demand for IT and digital solutions, and credit and payment processing services respectively.

Second, the tourism- and aviation-related sectors, such as accommodation and air transport, are projected to see a weaker recovery than previously expected due to the slower-than-anticipated lifting of global travel restrictions, as well as sluggish travel demand.

These sectors are not expected to return to pre-COVID levels even by the end of the year, MTI said.

It will be a similar case for consumer-facing sectors such as retail trade, and food and beverage services.

While these are expected to benefit from an improvement in consumer sentiments amid a gradual turnaround in labour market conditions, slower recovery in visitor arrivals and capacity constraints arising from safe management measure will likely mean they would not return to pre-COVID levels by end-2021.

Lastly, while the construction and marine and offshore engineering sectors are projected to recover from the low base last year, activity levels at construction worksites and shipyards will continue to be dampened by the requirement for safe management measures.

The recovery in output in these two sectors is also expected to be slow due to the plunge in contracts awarded for construction works in 2020 and the weakness in the global oil and gas market respectively, MTI said.

Despite the uneven outlook, HL Bank's senior treasury strategist Jeff Ng remains optimistic.

In a note issued following the GDP report, he said MTI's growth forecast for next year likely took into account concerns about major economies.

"Some major economies had to enforce more rounds of lockdowns at the start of 2021, due to another round of outbreak," he said.
"SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT" FOR JOBS
"Barring another round of downside risks materialising, like a circuit breaker, we see some possibilities of Singapore even outperforming our 2021 GDP forecast of 6.3 per cent."

On what the latest 2021 outlook means for the labour market, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said given the uncertainties that remained, employers will likely still be cautious about hiring.

"They may see the orders coming in (or) sales coming in but some employers are hesitant about adding manpower to their costs until they are more certain about the future of their business," Mr Kenny Tan, divisional director of manpower planning and policy division at MOM, told reporters at a press conference on Monday morning.

Even though the labour market ended 2020 "on a positive note" with growth in resident employment and a fall in unemployment rates, "substantial support" will still be needed this year to sustain the momentum in hiring, he added.

According to MOM's preliminary estimates, Singapore's labour market showed "a broad improvement" in the last quarter of 2020 with unemployment continuing to dip in December while more residents found jobs.

"All in all, we are a bit cautious and I think tomorrow at the Budget, you will see what measures we are prepared to introduce this year to give hiring a boost and to keep employment up this year," said Mr Tan.

Singapore is set to unveil its Budget 2021 on Tuesday. While observers expect it to be an expansionary budget, it will likely be more calibrated than the extraordinary fiscal resuscitation applied to the economy last year.

Meanwhile, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) affirmed that its stance remains appropriate and unchanged.

Deputy managing director Edward Robinson told reporters that the central bank's decision to stand pat in October last year was "predicated on a gradual and an uneven recovery pace factoring the possibility of recurrent COVID-19 outbreaks globally".

HOW THE ECONOMY FARED IN 2020

The central bank's next scheduled policy decision remains in April, he added.

For the whole of 2020, the Singapore economy contracted by 5.4 per cent, a reversal from the 1.3 per cent growth recorded in 2019.

"This represented the worst full-year recession since Singapore's independence, and was a direct result of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic," said MTI's permanent secretary Gabriel Lim at the same press conference.

He added that most sectors of the economy, particularly those related to tourism and aviation, contracted in 2020 but there were also bright spots.

Manufacturing was one such sector, expanding 7.3 per cent for the full year on the back of robust expansions in the biomedical manufacturing, electronics and precision engineering clusters. This marked a turnaround from the 1.5 per cent contraction in 2019.

The construction sector shrank by 35.9 per cent, a sharp retraction from the 1.6 per cent growth posted in 2019, pulled down by weakness in both public sector and private sector construction works.

The services producing industries contracted by 6.9 per cent, reversing the 2 per cent growth in 2019.

Most services sectors saw a full-year contraction due to the widespread economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, except for the finance and insurance, and information and communications sectors, MTI said.

For the final quarter of 2020, the Singapore economy contracted by 2.4 per cent on a year-on-year basis, an improvement from the 5.8 per cent contraction in the preceding quarter.

On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted basis, the economy expanded by 3.8 per cent, following the 9.0 per cent growth recorded in the previous quarter.

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Singapore maintains 2021 GDP forecast as economy contracts 5.4% last year, less than advance estimates

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(Updated: ) Share this content SINGAPORE: Singapore has maintained its growth forecast for 2021 at 4 to 6 per cent after an improved earlier estimate for last year's gross domestic product (GDP), said the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Monday (Feb 15).

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                                                                                                                                                                          STAGE 2 MACROECONOMICS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

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                                                                                                                                                                          STAGE 2 MACROECONOMICS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

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1. Good choice of specific articles on fast food although some of them are outdated
2. Good observations and applications of key microeconomic concepts to fast food industry in Singapore.
3. Your analysis on price elasticity of demand for fast in general was done well.
4. Honest reflections on group dynamics and how to be more focused and get things done. As this is a group project, you will have to meet more often to discuss, agree and write your analysis.

Areas for Improvements:
1. The group needs to articulate clear determinants of demand instead of reporting sales figures. This may include, affordability, convenience, fast-phased  life-style, taste and preference, etc.
2. Similarly, you will have to discuss the determinants of supply too.
3. The cost of operation (production cost) is on the rise against the backdrop of Covid-19 restrictions with the falling sales.
4. The impact of Covid-19 on the demand for fast food could have been mentioned too.

Having said that, you have made a reasonable good attempt to analyze the industry. Going forward, you will have to beef up your analysis to make it more comprehensive.

All the best as you begin your stage 2 analysis.

Cheers!
Josh Nathan

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Fast food industry in Singapore braves slump

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The food and beverage industry is in a pickle with the slowing economy, but the fast-food industry appears to be staying ahead.

The latest official figures show that sales at fast-food outlets were better than those at restaurants this year until September, except for June.

Fast-food sales in September are estimated to have risen 2.6 per cent over the same period last year.

But sales at restaurants rose more modestly at 0.9 per cent.

Still, sales in both the restaurant and fast-food categories have slowed down compared with five years ago. The fast-food industry grew just 1 per cent last year, a significant drop from the 10 per cent growth in 2011.

High rental rates and a manpower crunch have contributed to the sector's misery, as has a slowing economy.

The fast-food industry is doing better because of lower prices and promotions. The industry is also a lot more nimble in responding to food trends, said observers.

"It has speed and convenience, and even the ambience is getting better at the outlets. They keep having new products, which people get on to social media and talk about," said Singapore Polytechnic senior retail lecturer Sarah Lim.

Fast food is also more attractive when times are bad, said Associate Professor Prem Shamdasani, from the National University of Singapore Business School.

Texas Chicken, which opened two new outlets in Singapore in the second half of this year, said it has seen a 6 per cent growth in same- store sales in the first nine months this year, compared with the same period last year.

Popeyes, also a fried-chicken chain, reported the same amount of growth in sales.

Besides the introduction of new products, the chains said sales are up because of higher productivity, which leads to lower costs, and more efficiency.

International chains like McDonald's and Popeyes as well as local chain BurgerUp have invested in technology such as self-ordering food kiosks that help streamline services and reduce the dependence on staff.

"We offer burger customisation, so it is essential to have the ordering kiosk for diners to do it without hogging the order counter," said Mr Charlie Tan, BurgerUp's director of strategic planning and marketing.

He said this has led to 20 per cent savings in manpower.

Burger King is expected to adopt a similar system next year, said a spokesman. Texas Chicken is exploring the option.

The use of such technology has translated into better sales.

Mr Dickson Low, chief operating officer of Revenue Valley Group, which runs the Popeyes chain in Singapore, said staff have noticed more customers ordering side dishes and getting bigger portions of food.

He said this may be because the self-ordering kiosks allow them to view the images of all items on the menu. "For restaurants that use self-ordering kiosks, the orders for add-on and top-up items are higher by 15 per cent (than at restaurants) without kiosks."

The firm has invested $150,000 to $200,000 on these kiosks for each of its five outlets.

Prof Shamdasani said fast-food outlets find it more cost-efficient to invest because of the number of outlets they operate.

On the other hand, restaurants outside the industry may operate fewer branches and struggle to afford the technology.

Besides technology, the fast-food industry has also turned to the local palate to attract customers.

McDonald's, for example, introduced salted egg burgers in June this year.Texas Chicken introduced flavours such as sambal chicken, as well as herb and garlic chicken.

"Singapore is the hotbed of innovation and creativity when it comes to flavour profiles. It is a trend leader," said Mr Amarpal S. Sandhu, Texas Chicken's general manager for the Asia-Pacific region.

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The food and beverage industry is in a pickle with the slowing economy, but the fast-food industry appears to be staying ahead. The latest official figures show that sales at fast-food outlets were better than those at restaurants this year until September, except for June.

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Thank you everyone for being my teammates and completing the project together with me. It was really fun working with you all and I could not have asked for better teammates.

One area of improvement is that maybe before working on our different parts for the project, we can make sure that we know exactly what to do. If we are unsure, we should ask each other and clarify our doubts. That way, we will then be able to finish our parts quickly and efficiently and not make any unnecessary errors.

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Thank you everyone for taking the time to finish your parts on the project and for taking the initiative to get everyone to start on the work. Even though we may have had disagreements and issues along the way, everything worked out fine and we still managed to help each other finish the industry analysis.

One area of improvement could possibly be to discuss beforehand and reaching a consensus before starting on our own, as this would then curb possible collisions of ideas etc.

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This Is How Food Pricing Affects What You Eat

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A Tufts study examines how cost influences dietary choices.

Consumers would be more likely to buy healthy food if it cost less. That's stating the obvious.

But to what extent do food prices influence shoppers' decisions? To figure that out, researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University delved deep into the data.

Through a pooled analysis of 30 studies that examined the relationship between food pricing and purchasing decisions, the Tufts team determined that each 10 percent decrease in price boosts consumption of nutritious foods by around 14 percent (for fruits and vegetables) and 16 percent (for other healthy choices).

That may not seem like a lot, but consider this: If a bag of spinach costs $3, lowering that price by just 30 cents-10 percent-could noticeably change shopping habits. Discount those greens another 10 percent-adjusting the original price by less than a dollar in total-and suddenly consumption could rise by more than a quarter, according to the study's estimates.

The researchers also observed that lower health food costs are correlated with modest, but statistically significant, decreases in population body mass index.

Raising prices on unhealthy products, such as soda and fast food, seems to influence behavior, but not as dramatically. Each 10 percent price hike results in an estimated 7 percent drop in sugar-sweetened beverage selection and a 3 percent drop in fast food purchasing. That's not nothing, but the researchers note in a paper published in PLOS ONE that "interventions promoting healthful behaviors generally have greater effect sizes compared with those targeting cessation of unhealthful behaviors."

The study does have a few drawbacks. For one, buying food isn't the same eating food. Plus, it can be hard to tell what actually influenced someone to buy a certain item-maybe a sale on strawberries was enticing, or maybe the fruits just looked particularly good that day.

Nonetheless, senior author and Friedman School Dean Dariush Mozaffarian says in a statement that real societal gains could come from adjusted food costs.

"Our findings suggest that subsidies and taxes are a highly effective tool for normalizing the price of foods toward their true societal costs," he says. "This will not only prevent disease but also reduce spiraling healthcare costs, which are causing tremendous strain on both private businesses and government budgets."

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Study: How Food Prices Affect What You Eat

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A Tufts study examines how cost influences dietary choices. Consumers would be more likely to buy healthy food if it cost less. That's stating the obvious. But to what extent do food prices influence shoppers' decisions? To figure that out, researchers from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University delved deep into the data.

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Thanks everyone for being so participative in this group. Even though we may disagree at times I'm glad it all worked out fine.

We could probably improve by planning out our meetings and respective tasks earlier so we don't have to rush last minute

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Determinants of eating at local and western fast-food venues in an urban Asian population

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International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 14, Article number: 69 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

Background

Like several Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has a complex eating-out environment and a rising eating-out prevalence. However the determinants and drivers of eating-out in urban Asian environments are poorly understood.

Methods

We examined the socio-demographic characteristics of persons who frequently ate away from home in local eateries called hawker centres and Western fast-food restaurants, using data from 1647 Singaporean adults participating in the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2010. We also assessed the underlying drivers of eating out and evaluated if these were different for eating at local eateries compared to Western fast-food restaurants using 18 focus group discussions of women (130 women).

Results

Participants reported a high eating-out frequency with 77.3% usually eating either breakfast, lunch or dinner at eateries. Main venues for eating-out included hawker centres (61.1% usually ate at least 1 of 3 daily meals at this venue) and school/workplace canteens (20.4%). A minority of participants (1.9%) reported usually eating at Western fast-food restaurants. Younger participants and those of Chinese and Malay ethnicity compared to Indians were more likely to eat at Western fast-food restaurants. Chinese and employed persons were more likely to eat at hawker centres. The ready availability of a large variety of affordable and appealing foods appeared to be a primary driver of eating out, particularly at hawker centres.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the growing importance of eating-out in an urban Asian population where local eating venues play a more dominant role compared with Western fast-food chains. Interventions focusing on improving the food quality at venues for eating out are important to improve the diet of urban Asian populations.

Background

Frequent eating out of the home environment at food retail establishments ('eating out') has been shown to be associated with less healthful food choices including lower wholegrain and fruit consumption, higher energy and saturated fatty acid intake and lower intake of micronutrients such as iron, calcium and vitamin C [ 1, 2]. People who eat out frequently are more likely to gain weight [ 3] and frequent consumption of Western-style fast-food has been associated with adverse cardio-metabolic outcomes including insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes and heart disease [ 2, 4, 5]. A growing number of people in several Asian countries eat out frequently, for example, Singapore [ 6], China [ 7] and South Korea [ 8].

This emergent culture of eating-out has been attributed to broader socioeconomic changes including rising affluence, increased participation of women in the workforce [ 9], urbanization and changes in economic policies allowing for market penetration of transnational food companies and chain restaurants [ 10]. In addition to Western style fast-food restaurants many Asian, Latin American and African cities have a long tradition of street food vendors and hawkers [ 11]. Global estimates from the Food and Agricultural Organization suggest that street foods are consumed by 2.5 billion people on a daily basis and they could contribute as much as 40% to daily caloric intake in some Asian cities such as Bangkok [ 11].

Singapore is an island city-state in Southeast Asia with a diverse population of 3.7 million residents consisting predominantly of Chinese (74%), Malay (13%) and Indian (9%) ethnicities [ 12]. Singapore has a long tradition of street vendors or hawkers like many of its South-East Asian neighbours [ 13]. There are more than 100 hawker centres island-wide with each typically housing between 30 and 50 food stalls that provide Singaporeans with a variety of traditional ethnic dishes. These include mixed rice dishes such as fried rice, coconut-rice ("nasi lemak") and biryani, noodle dishes, stir-fried vegetables, legumes, soy, poultry, meat and fish dishes.

The major Western food chains in Singapore in 2015 were McDonald's® and Kentucky Fried Chicken® which together accounted for over 55% of the food service value for chained fast-food restaurants [ 14]. Foods served at these venues are similar to those available internationally but may also include variations to cater to local taste preferences. In light of the rising prevalence of obesity [ 15] and diabetes [ 16] in this region, the growth of transnational food chains of Western origin has raised public health concerns [ 17]. Foods served at these venues are highly palatable, fairly affordable and sophisticatedly marketed but are usually energy-dense and nutrient poor. In Singapore, consumption of Western style fast-foods have been associated with abdominal obesity [ 2], type-2 diabetes [ 4] and coronary heart disease [ 4].

Local vendors seem to provide foods based on a larger variety of food groups, such as legumes and green leafy vegetables, and also employ a diversity of cooking methods including steaming and stir-frying. However, the foods available at these eateries are generally high in sodium and saturated fat and whole grain options are usually limited [ 18].

The co-existence of local food vendors, Western fast-food outlets and sit-down restaurants gives rise to complex eating-out food environments with multiple types of food providers potentially catering to somewhat different populations. Previous studies, primarily from Western populations, have indicated that eating-out patterns are associated with demographic and socio-economic factors such as age [ 19, 20, 21, 22, 23], ethnicity [ 19, 24] and occupational status [ 19]. However, data on the determinants of eating out in an Asian context are sparse.

It is not clear whether the growing number of Western fast-food chains cater to segments of the population with established eating-out patterns or are attracting consumers that may have previously been resistant towards eating at local eateries. This is of interest, given the rising prevalence of eating-out in this region. Also, little is known about the perceptions of consumers towards eating at local versus Western-style venues. In this study of adult Singaporeans we used a concurrent mixed methods approach to examine the socio-demographic characteristics of persons that eat out frequently at Western fast-food restaurants and hawker centres, and used data from focus group discussions to gain an understanding of the food choices made by adult women for themselves and their families to eat out at these venues.

Methods

We used a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design framework for this study [ 25]. We used quantitative data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey to identify the socio-demographic determinants for eating out frequently at Western fast-food restaurants and local eateries. We used qualitative data to understand women's perceptions of eating at these venues. Both data sources were analyzed separately and results were integrated at the stage of interpretation to understand the determinants of eating out frequently at Western fast-foods and hawker centres in this population with a high eating out prevalence.

Quantitative survey

We used data from the Singapore National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2010 for this study. CL and MFC were involved in survey design and in supervising data collection. SC and JYL managed the NNS 2010 survey dataset. The NNS 2010 is a nationally representative survey which monitors population-level food intake and dietary practices. The NNS 2010 comprised of a sub-sample of 1661 of the 4337 individuals who participated in the National Health Survey 2010. Details on the survey methodology of the 2010 National Health Survey have been reported [ 26]. For the NNS-2010, participants were selected based on a sampling matrix stratified by age, ethnicity and sex with an oversampling of minority ethnicities. To be eligible for the NNS 2010, participants were required to be non-institutionalized Singaporean residents, between 18 and 69 years of age and of either Indian, Malay or Chinese ethnicity. Of the 1661 participants, 14 participants did not meet the age and ethnicity criteria and were excluded from further analyses. The sample size for NNS 2010 was based on detecting a 5% change in energy and macronutrients intake since 2004 (based on the NNS 2004 data) with 90% power and an alpha of 5%. Interviews were conducted by trained interviewers in either English, Malay, Tamil or Mandarin based on participant preference using translated questionnaires. The study was approved by the Singapore Health Promotion Board, Medical and Dental Board Ethics Committee.

The dietary practice questions used in the survey were developed by the Department of Nutrition, Ministry of Health (the current Heath Promotion Board) and have been used in the Singapore NNS since 1998. Access to the survey questionnaire is available upon request to the corresponding author. [ 6].

This questionnaire consists of 26 multiple-choice or frequency questions including questions about the usual location for consuming meals. Participants were asked about where they usually ate each of the three main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). The nine meal location options were: 1) home, 2) packed from home, 3) restaurant/coffee house, 4) workplace/polytechnic/ university canteen, 5) school/college canteen, 6) hawker centre/coffee shop stall/food court, 7) fast-food restaurant, 8) others (to specify), or 9) does not eat the specified meal at all. Intake over a time-frame of over the past week or month were used as probes for participants who had difficulty answering the question. In two separate questions participants were asked how frequently they ate at hawker centres, food courts or coffee shops and how frequently they ate at Western fast-food restaurants (e.g. Kentucky Fried Chicken®, McDonald's®, Burger King®). Hawker centres are open-air food complexes comprising of multiple food vendors selling prepared local foods. Coffee shop stalls are similar to hawker centres but have a fewer number of stalls (generally under 20). Food courts are air-conditioned hawker centres generally found in larger shopping malls. Since the types of foods sold at these eating venues are fairly similar we will refer to all these eating venues as hawker centres. Demographic information on age, sex, ethnicity, employment status, monthly household income, marital status and highest education were collected using a structured questionnaire.

Focus group discussions

We conducted a series of focus group discussions in 2011. Inclusion criteria were women of Singaporean Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicity ( n = 130) aged between 30 and 55 years. As the three ethnic groups speak different languages, we stratified focus groups on the basis of ethnicity to facilitate group discussions. Since employment status, access to nutrition education and health beliefs can differ by education, we further stratified on the basis of education status (low and high) within each ethnic group. We therefore had 6 focus group discussions per ethnic group (3 groups each for high and low education strata) for a total of 18 focus groups. Group sizes ranged from 5 to 10 participants with a mean of 7 participants per group.

A semi-structured interview protocol was used for the focus group discussions. This guide was developed based on the theory of Triadic Influence [ 27] which identifies three main influences on health behaviour; biological, social and cultural/environmental. This allowed for development of a priori codes based on these domains. Prompts in the discussion guide related to eating out included questions such as "How do you decide whether to eat at home or to eat out?", "When and how often do you eat out?" and "What is important to you when selecting food when eating out?" Further details on the study design have been previously published [ 28]. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National University of Singapore (reference number: 1330).

Data analyses

Quantitative data analysis

Participants who indicated that they usually obtained meals at non-home locations for two of the three eating occasions, i.e., breakfast, lunch or dinner, were categorized as persons who eat out frequently. We used multivariate logistic regression to assess if frequent eating out was associated with socio-demographic characteristics including age (years), sex (male, female), ethnicity (Indian, Malay, Chinese), marital status (never married, married, divorced or widowed or separated), employment (employed, homemaker, student or national service, retired or unemployed), education (primary or less, secondary, junior college or diploma and degree or profession qualifications) and monthly household income (<$2000 SGD, $2000 - $3999, $4000 - $5999, ≥ $6000). We fitted three models; Model 1 had no adjustments, Model 2 was adjusted for age, sex and ethnicity and Model 3 was further adjusted for education and income to assess if socio-economic and demographic factors in Model 2 (i.e. age, sex and ethnicity) could have independent effects on the outcome. In secondary analyses, we assessed the association between socio-demographic characteristics and eating-out frequently at Western fast-food restaurants and hawker centres. Using the 75th percentile as the cut off, we categorized participants as those who ate 10 or more meals per week at hawker centres as frequent consumers of hawker centre meals and those who ate 1 or more meals per week at Western fast-food restaurants as frequent consumers of fast-foods. P-values ≤0.05 were considered as significant. Sampling weights were applied to the data to account for unequal probabilities of selection, nonresponse and oversampling of Malay and Indian ethnicities to better represent national statistics. All analyses were carried out on weighted values of the data using STATA version 11.2.

Qualitative data analysis

Audio recorded focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and then translated into English when necessary. Accuracy of translation was verified by members of the research team who are fluent in Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and 'Singlish', a form of English commonly spoken by Singaporeans [ 29]. Analysis triangulation and thematic coding of the transcripts was done using ATLAS ti (version 6.2.23, ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany). Both software aided and manual coding strategies have been previously shown to be advantageous for the qualitative analysis [ 30]. Coding began with a broad-based reading of all transcript responses with the subsets of questions from the discussion guide initially used to identify broad themes. A thematic analysis approach was used [ 31] allowing for the flexibility of using a combination of both deductive and inductive approaches in data analysis. The theory of Triadic Influence was used in the initial stages of research for the deductive approach [ 32] with additional codes added during the course of the analysis thus allowing for the discovery of alternative themes. An inductive approach or 'bottom up' approach was used by other members of the research team not involved in the a priori coding. Each researcher independently coded the data and identified themes which were subsequently reviewed within the research team at fortnightly meetings. This allowed for a critical evaluation and consensus of the final themes chosen to best answer the research questions.

Results

Participant description and eating-out patterns

Participant demographics were comparable to the overall adult Singapore population [ 12] in terms of sex distribution, ethnicity and education after weighting (Table 1). However, our participants were older and with fewer never married participants.

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants of the Singapore National Nutrition Survey (2010)

Approximately 77% of participants usually ate out for at least one of the three main meals (breakfast, lunch or dinner) per day with 32.8% usually eating out for 1 meal, 32.6% for 2 meals, 11.9% for all 3 meals (Additional file 1: Table S1) and 22.7% did not usually eat out for any of the three main eating occasions. Eating out was most common for lunch, with 70.6% of participants usually eating out for this meal, followed by dinner (32.8%) and breakfast (30.3%) (Fig. 1).

Self-reported venue for usually consuming breakfast, lunch and dinner by participants of the Singapore National Nutrition Survey (2010)

Hawker centres were a popular dining venue with 61.1% of the participants usually eating at least one of the three main meals per day at hawker centres. In contrast only 1.9% of participants usually ate at least 1 meal at fast-food restaurants on a daily basis (Additional file 1: Table S1). Workplace and school canteens were also common dining venues with 20.4% of the participants typically eating at these venue for at least one meal.

Socio-demographic determinants of eating out

Compared with participants who typically ate out for less than two eating occasions, those that ate out for two or more eating occasions per day were more likely to be male, Chinese and never married (Model 1) (Table 2). Homemakers (spouse who does not work and remains at home to take care of the children and the home) were less likely to eat out frequently compared to working adults. After adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity (Model 2), we observed that participants who were younger, male, of Chinese ethnicity and were employed (compared to homemakers) were more likely to eat out frequently. These results were largely similar after adjusting for education and household income (i.e., Model 3). However, the inverse association between being married and eating out frequently now became statistically significant (Table 2).

Table 2 Odds ratio (95% CI) of usually eating-out for 2 or more meals per day by socio-demographic characteristics of participants from the Singapore National Nutrition Survey (2010)a

We also examined determinants of eating at Western fast-food restaurants and Hawker centres separately. The median frequency (25th, 75th percentile) of eating at hawker centres was 5 times (2, 10) per week whilst the median frequency (25th, 75th percentile) of eating at Western fast-food restaurants was 0 (0, 1) times per week.

We observed no statistical association between age and frequent eating at hawker centres, while participants who were younger were more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants (Table 3). Men were more likely to eat at hawker centres compared to women. Indians and Malays were less likely to eat at hawker centres compared to Chinese. In unadjusted models (Model-1) Malays were more likely to eat at frequently at fast-food restaurants compared to Chinese and Indians. This effect was attenuated after adjusting for age and sex (Model-2). After further adjusting for income and education (Model-3) we observed that Malays were more likely and Indians were less likely to eat frequently at fast-food restaurants as compared to Chinese. Education and income was not statistically associated with frequent eating at hawker centres. While higher educational status was directly associated with frequent eating at fast-food restaurants, this relationship became non-significant in fully adjusted models which included income. As compared to participants with a monthly household income of under 2000 SGD, those with an income of 4000 SGD and above were more likely to eat frequently at fast- food restaurants. This association was attenuated after adjusting for covariates. Employed persons were more likely to eat at hawker centres compared to homemakers or students. Employed persons were more likely to eat frequently at fast-food restaurants compared to homemakers, but less likely to do so compared to students. These associations became statistically non-significant in adjusted models.

Table 3 Odds ratio (95% CI) of eating frequently at hawker centers (10 or more meals per week) or fast-food restaurants (1 or more meals per week) by socio-demographic characteristics of participants from the Singapore National Nutrition Survey (2010)a

Focus group discussions on eating at hawker centres and Western fast-food restaurants

Four themes consistently emerged in relation to perceptions of hawker stalls in Singapore. These were large variety, convenience, unhealthy food and lack of cleanliness. The design of hawker centres which provides consumers with a wide variety of cuisine styles under one roof was often cited as a reason for choosing to eat at hawker centres.

"I mean in the hawker centres, we have more varieties. It is a bigger area, and there are a lot of stalls." (Chinese, lower education).

Only a few participants framed this diversity of choices in the context of healthfulness of dishes, with some women indicating that both healthful and less healthful options are available and others were unsure if this was the case.

"A lot of choice [at hawker centres] but I can't be sure whether it is healthy or unhealthy." (Malay, lower education).

Convenience with respect to economic convenience in terms of low cost and physical convenience in terms of ease of access was cited as reasons for eating at hawker centres. Some women highlighted the convenience of eating out in relation to busy work schedules and lack of time. Home cooking was described as being hard to achieve whilst working but was more feasible once women stopped working.

" ...now that I'm still adjusting to the working (life), we find that it's so much more convenient to eat out and usually it's the children (who) would like to eat something which is different. So they would want Western, not the Malay rice and...but I don't like us to eat as a family...to eat at fast-food restaurants because it's...to me you can get something more substantial at a cheaper and at a lower price (at a hawker centre)." (Malay, higher education).

"They are all working. The food outside is easy to get. I do (did) not know how to cook, but now I do because I am no longer working. But if I was working and food is easy to get, outside, I will be less skilled." (Malay lower education).

Hawker centre foods were often described as unhealthy because of the amount or quality of the ingredients such as the use of monosodium glutamate and less healthful cooking oils or practices such as recycling oil.

"...what gives me the impression (that the hawker centre food) is not healthy, because I don't see a lot of veggie(s) or fruits, which doesn't tell (say) much, and tells us on top of that, they are all fried and (hawker) food centre(s) normally tend to recycle their cooking oil." (Chinese lower education).

Some respondents discussed strategies to eat healthfully at hawker centres such as sharing a meal, choosing vegetables and steamed options and buying foods from specific stalls that serve more healthful meals. Compared to restaurants, hawker centres were perceived by some participants to be less clean, described as being hot, smoky, having inadequate housekeeping and a possibility of falling ill because of poor hygiene practices.

The perceived unhealthfulness, convenience and variety of Western fast-foods and its popularity amongst youth emerged as major themes across the different focus groups. Western fast-foods were generally regarded as being fatty, processed, energy dense and described as being unhealthy.

"...the food is less healthy but in time of need, it is needed too. [laughter]. If we go anywhere where there isn't halal food, we are forced to eat it (Western fast-foods) because that (is the) case, at my house." (translated from Malay; Malay higher education).

The attractiveness of fast-foods to children and youth emerged as a salient theme. This was attributed to the appealing taste of these foods, more autonomous decision making in children due to the availability of pocket money and the use of these foods as comfort foods given stressful school schedules.

Respondent: "Because they like junk food very much. They are given money they are always thinking of going (to) McDonalds and KFC. They enjoy eating I don't know whether (they) know about it (potential health effects of frequent eating at fast-food restaurants). Even if they know the impact, they don't care because they enjoy it.. they love it. Whenever, I want to give my students a treat, they always say "teacher, KFC". I say it's not healthy.. once in a while it's okay.. I've some students who must drink cold [soft] drinks, they said "teacher, after eating my lunch I must have a glass of that". They are hooked on to that." (Indian higher education).

Some women discussed strategies to reduce the intake of unhealthy foods amongst children including eating at home before going out and highlighting the role of schools in improving children's dietary intakes. Western fast-foods were described as being convenient because of their easy accessibility, late operating hours, and the availability of home-delivery option which is a service not provided by hawker centres. These foods were seen by some women as contributing to the culinary diversity of food choices particularly favoured by their children.

"No, my children like varieties, something like western food. But I only cook Indian food, so only sometimes we argue. For us we'll (ask) our children what type of food to cook (and they reply) "Ah ya, you always cook curry curry curry, told you not to cook curry already. You don't know how to cook other" pasta, lasagna"... they like that type (of food). But I don't know how to cook (it)! I say, "I'm very sorry."...(the children reply) "We want to go outside and eat." (Indian lower education).

Discussion

Using data from the nationally representative Singapore National Nutrition Survey 2010 and focus group discussions of 130 Singaporean women, we explored participants' perceptions of eating out at Western and traditional Asian venues to provide insights into reasons why people eat at these venues. We also identified the socio-demographic attributes that characterize persons who eat out frequently at these venues. We observed that eating out frequently was more common amongst men, employed, compared to home-makers, and those of Chinese ethnicity. Persons who ate out frequently at hawker centres were more likely to be of Chinese ethnicity whilst those eating out frequently at Western fast-food restaurants were more likely to be of Malay or Chinese ethnicity. Variety, convenience and unhealthy foods were themes that emerged in focus group discussions that centred on eating at hawker centres or Western fast-food restaurants. Hawker centres were perceived by some as being venues that were less sanitary whilst Western fast-food restaurants were thought to be particularly appealing to youth.

Findings from our study highlights the predominant eating-out culture in Singapore with 77.3% of our participants regularly obtaining at least one main meal out of home daily. This is supported by household expenditure survey data which indicate that on average Singaporeans spend more than 60% of their food expenses on away from home food [ 33]. In comparison, eating out constitutes 41% of the food budget in the US [ 34] and 21% in urban China [ 35]. The high eating-out prevalence observed in our study could be explained partly by both the remarkably rapid socio-economic changes Singapore has experienced over the past few decades [ 36] and due to rental policies that have historically subsidized eating out at hawker centres making this a convenient and economical alternative to home-cooking [ 37].

Since independence in 1965, Singapore has undergone transformative economic reforms and now has one of the lowest unemployment rates and one of the highest GDP per capita globally [ 36, 38]. Results from both our survey and focus group discussion highlight the importance of employment as a determinant of eating out. Consistent with data from other Western populations, we observed that participants who were employed had a higher likelihood of eating out more frequently [ 19, 39]. Lack of time for food preparation and greater disposable income has been cited as a possible reasons for the greater reliance on outside foods in employed persons [ 40]. Women in our focus groups also highlighted the convenience of eating out as a way to better manage perceived time scarcity due to work demands.

The role of income in eating out frequency may vary based on whether this is viewed as a luxury or a necessity. Compared to other foods, price-elasticity studies suggest that dining out is considered more of a luxury [ 41, 42, 43] although this may be less valid for urban single adults [ 43]. In line with this, frequency of consumption of food away from home in US working age adults decreased from 2005 to 2010, a period that was characterized by high unemployment rates and increasing food prices [ 40]. However, data from other studies suggest that the differences in time spent on cooking by employment status are modest and income decreases may result in changes in the acquisition of food from less economical eating venues such as sit-down restaurants to more economical venues such as fast-food restaurants [ 44]. Other aspects of employment such as the increased opportunity to access away-from home eating venues may also be important drivers of eating out and indeed we noted workplace and school cafeterias as a very popular eating-out venue. In the Singapore context, eating at local hawker centres is inexpensive (a meal typically costing 3-4 USD) and was regarded as such by our focus group participants. Perceived scarcity of time, rather than disposable income, resonated more strongly with the women in our focus group discussion. Disposable income in the form of pocket money may be a more relevant driver of eating out behaviour in children and teens who appear to favour the more expensive Western fast-food restaurants [ 45]. This is consistent with our focus group findings where women perceived that the availability of pocket money enables children to eat out at Western fast-food chains.

We observed considerably higher eating-out frequencies in Chinese compared to Malay and Indian participants. These ethnic differences were not explained by variability in income or education and may be related to cultural or environmental factors. Traditional expectations of the woman's role in cooking may persist more in some ethnic communities compared to others [ 46]. Also, the efficiency of eating out with less perceived time-cost and food wastage may resonate more strongly amongst Chinese with deeply held Confucian values of productivity, while Indians may have a preference for home-cooked meals for health reasons [ 46]. Data from our focus group discussion suggests that the limited number of halal certified hawker stalls may prevent Malays, who typically follow Islamic traditions, to eat out more frequently. Malay adults were more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants, which tend to be halal-certified, compared to Chinese or Indians. This suggests that whilst the lack of convenient eating out venues may motivate Malay participants to eat home cooked food such that when they do eat out it is likely to be at venues such as fast-food restaurants. The role of environmental factors in contributing to ethnic disparities with regards to food access is increasingly being recognized in Western countries [ 47] and needs to be investigated in Asian food environments.

Contrary to the US where Western fast-foods account for nearly 40% of total calories consumed away from home [ 48], local eating venues in Singapore are the primary source of away from home prepared foods. Market research data suggest that this may be the case for other Asian countries as well [ 14]. In 2014, Asian fast-food eateries comprised 96.6% of the 1.53 million fast-food outlets in China, 94.7% of the 87,186 outlets in India and 68.6% of 8152 outlets in Vietnam [ 14]. Unlicensed street food vendors also form an important part of the food distribution networks in many South East Asian countries [ 11].

Additionally the impetus for selecting Western fast-foods appears to differ in Asian and Western contexts. Although convenience and low cost are some of the major reported drivers for Western style fast-food consumption in the US [ 49] and Australia [ 50], our data suggest that these factors may not be of singular importance in Singapore. In our focus group discussions, convenience and value for money was more frequently reported as themes related to hawker foods, rather than Western fast-foods. With low overhead costs due to lack of air-conditioning and wait-staff, hawkers are able to offer cooked foods at lower prices compared to other eating venues. Also, the rental leases of many hawkers are subsidized by the government [ 37]. These rental subsidies can be traced back to the 1970's when the government relocated mobile street vendors to newly constructed hawker centres which were strategically located near residential neighbourhoods and business centres as a way to regulate the quality of foods sold [ 37]. Apart from their easy accessibility, the large variety of dishes available at these hawker centres also emerged as a salient theme in our focus group discussions. This allows for families to cater to the diverse food preferences of various family members [ 28, 46].

Other studies suggest that Western fast-foods have more of a symbolic or social value and less of a utilitarian function in Asian cultures [ 8, 9, 51]. Young Indian adults viewed eating at fast-food restaurants as fun and entertaining but did not consider this as a substitute for home foods [ 51]. Similar recreational attributes to Western fast-foods have been made by Filipino, Malay and Indonesian adults [ 9]. In our study, Western fast-foods was recognized as adding variety to usual food experiences. Concerns about food safety and hygiene practices at hawker centres were frequently discussed and this may lead to eating at alternate eating venues, including Western fast-food restaurants.

The popularity of fast-foods amongst children and youth emerged as a salient theme in most groups. Consistent with this we observed that younger persons were more likely to eat at Western fast-foods restaurants. Although data in Singaporean children and teens are lacking, we observed that 70.8% of adults aged 18-21 years consumed Western fast-foods on a weekly basis compared to 3.0% of adult aged 60 years and over. High consumption of these foods in the younger age demographic has also been observed in studies from US [ 19, 21, 22], Europe [ 20] and South Korea [ 23]. In Singapore, children play a key role in family food decisions [ 46]. Accommodating their food preferences is seen as being efficient and less wasteful [ 46]. Children have been reported to exert considerable 'pester-power' in influencing food shopping decisions made at supermarkets in the US [ 52]. Parents from India, Malaysia and Pakistan also reported children as being key influencers in choosing food products [ 53].

The perceived unhealthfulness of hawker-centre foods were related to vendor practices such as recycling oils, poor sanitary standards, and lack of vegetables. Although vegetable dishes are available at most hawker-centres this may vary by stall, with some stalls serving cuisines such as yong tau foo providing a greater variety of vegetables, and others such as chicken rice providing limited vegetable options.

The use of a mixed methods approach to characterize and examine determinants of eating out behaviours in a multi-ethnic Asian setting with a large nationally representative sample is a strength of this study. However, like most studies examining dietary behaviours, our results are based on self-reported eating out behaviours and reporting errors are possible. Our focus group discussion groups consisted of women and did not include men, who were most likely to eat out frequently. However, this provided us with insights on why women, who are typically regarded as the gatekeepers of family food decisions, choose to eat out [ 46]. Future studies could focus on snacking patterns, which were not captured by our survey, and on perceptions and drivers of eating out in men, children and teens.

Conclusions

Taken together, our data suggest that concerns about the healthfulness and hygiene of foods sold away from home are out-weighed by their convenience and affordability. Faced with multiple demands on their time and attention, women viewed eating out as efficient. Men, younger, and employed persons may be particularly affected by the drivers of eating out and children may initiate the family's decisions to eat at Western fast-food restaurants. The Singapore experience suggests that as Asian cities undergo a socio-economic transition, regular home cooking may increasingly become less attractive and eating out more common. Local food retailers such as hawkers are important food providers and must be considered in policies that seek to address the nutrition transition and rising rates of cardio-metabolic diseases in this region [ 16, 54]. In Singapore, the Health Promotion Board has initiated the Healthier Dining Program to make healthier options more available at external eating venues [ 55]. This initiative and possibly initiatives that promote home-cooking may also be relevant to other Asian settings such as Malaysia and Hong Kong with similar food establishment models.

Abbreviations

NNS:

National Nutrition Survey

SGD:

Singapore Dollar

USD:

United States Dollar

References

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Acknowledgements

We thank Ms. Geetha Reddy for her help with the focus group discussions.

Funding

This study was funded by the National University of Singapore, Global Asia Institute (Grant number AC-2010-1-001), the Ministry of Education Tier 1 grant (WBS R-608-000-164-114), and the Ministry of Health, HSR-CRG grant HSRG11nov001. The study funders had no role in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, or in writing the manuscript.

Availability of data and supporting materials

Raw data will not be made publically available as informed consent for doing so was not obtained from the participants.

Authors' contributions

NN co-wrote the first draft of the manuscript and analysed and interpreted the data; RMVD designed the study, supervised data collection and interpreted the data; SN analysed and interpreted the data; CST analysed and interpreted the data; HPB co-authors (SC, JYL, MFC and LC) supervised data collection and provided National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2010 data, SAR co-wrote the first draft of the manuscript, helped design the study and interpreted the data. All authors read, edited and approved the final manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Consent for publication

Not applicable

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Written informed consent was obtained from survey and focus group discussion participants. The study protocol for the National Nutrition Survey (2010) was approved by the Singapore Health Promotion Board, Medical and Dental Board Ethics Committee and the protocol for focus group discussions was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National University of Singapore (reference number: 1330).

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Services, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

Nasheen Naidoo

2. Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore

Rob M. van Dam, Sheryl Ng, Chuen Seng Tan & Salome A. Rebello

3. Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, and National University Health System Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

Rob M. van Dam

4. Health Promotion Board, Singapore, Singapore

Shiqi Chen, Jia Yi Lim, Mei Fen Chan & Ling Chew

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Salome A. Rebello.

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Naidoo, N., van Dam, R.M., Ng, S. et al. Determinants of eating at local and western fast-food venues in an urban Asian population: a mixed methods approach. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 14, 69 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0515-x
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Determinants of eating at local and western fast-food venues in an urban Asian population: a mixed methods approach - International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

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Background Like several Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has a complex eating-out environment and a rising eating-out prevalence. However the determinants and drivers of eating-out in urban Asian environments are poorly understood. Methods We examined the socio-demographic characteristics of persons who frequently ate away from home in local eateries called hawker centres and Western fast-food restaurants, using data from 1647 Singaporean adults participating in the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2010.

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1. How Food Addiction Works (and What to Do About It)

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-food-addiction-works

2. Market value of the fast food industry in Singapore from 2013 to 2017 https://www.statista.com/statistics/724864/market-value-of-the-fast-food-industry-in-singapore/

3. Determinants of Fast Food Consumption
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23520994_DETERMINANTS_OF_FAST_FOOD_CONSUMPTION

4. When is food a luxury?
https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.575.242&rep=rep1&type=pdf

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Thank you for being really patient with me and working this together. Honestly working with you guys have been fun. It was rough at times but we all managed to get through it somehow.

One area we can improve is that discussing beforehand so that the quality of the analysis would be more clear.

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There has been a 10% sales growth of fast food in Singapore

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Total sales value of food & beverage services was estimated at SG$916m.

More Singaporeans were spending in fast food in the past 12 months ending August 2019, beating out the combined performance of restaurants, food caterers and other eating places.

According to their Department of Statistics, fast food outlets grew 10% year-on-year (YoY), followed by restaurants (4.9% YoY) and food caterers (3.7% YoY).

Other eating places such as cafes were on the red, down 0.4% YoY.

Comparing performances over the previous month, restaurants were the top gainers, reporting 3.1% sales growth, followed by fast food outlets (1.2%) and food caterers (0.2%). Turnover of other eating places decreased marginally by 0.1% in the said period.

(Also read: McDonald's still favorite option for Singaporeans, study claims)

Overall, sales of food & beverage services grew by 3.6% in August 2019 compared to the same period last year and increased by 1.4% over the previous month.

Total sales value of food & beverage services was estimated at SG$916m, compared to SG$884m in August 2018.

Meanwhile, food retailers - stores which sell food & beverages that are generally not meant for immediate consumption on their premises - was down 2.3% YoY and down 1.2% month-on-month.

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Fast food outlets generate 10% sales growth in Singapore

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Total sales value of food & beverage services was estimated at SG$916m.More Singaporeans were spending in fast food in the past 12 months ending August 2019, beating out the combined performance of restaurants, food caterers and other eating places.According to their Department of Statistics, fast food outlets grew 10% year-on-year (YoY), followed by restaurants (4.9% YoY) and food caterers (3.7% YoY).Other eating places such as cafes were on the red, down 0.4% YoY.Comparing performances over the previous month, restaurants were the top gainers, reporting 3.1% sales growth, followed by fast food outlets (1.2%) and food caterers (0.2%).

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Microeconomics Preliminary Analysis (Based on the key sources of information)

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Microeconomics Preliminary Analysis (Based on the key sources of information)

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1. Market structure of the Fast Food industry – Monopolistic Competition (Ackley)
Support from key sources:
- Production differentiation such as different services and physical differences are widely practiced.
- E.g. McDonalds mainly sells burgers, has most outlets 24 hours open, and has their own delivery services which is more appealing to consumers due to its convenience. On the contrary, Subway sells sandwiches, closes at 11pm and does not have their own delivery services.
- The 1st key source shows that McDonald’s dominate the fast-food industry as seen from its 40% market share in Singapore compared to Long John’s Silver which has 2%.

2. Demand and Supply Determinants of Fast Food Industry (Sri and Daniel)
Support from Key Sources:
- The overall fast food industry showed that there was a 10% decrease in Sales from 2000 to 2018
- A number of fast food chains have expanded the sales by 29% due to the demand of the fast food and accessible locations.
- Sales on the food and beverages raised by 3.6% in August 2019 and that led to the increase in sales value eg. SG$884 million in August 2018 to SG$916 million in August 2019 due to the consumption of Fast Food such as taste and quality.

3. Price elasticity of demand for fast food (Deva Darshini and Ming Hon)
Support from Key Sources:
- In Singapore, the demand for fast food might be slightly elastic as people in Singapore tend to consume food from hawker centres more frequently rather than from fast food restaurants. As such, if the price of fast food increases, Singaporeans might lean towards getting their meals from hawker centres and other dining areas instead of continuing to order from fast food restaurants. According to data from a research website (Refer to Key Source 4), Hawker centres are a popular dining venue with 61.1% of respondents usually eating at least one of the three main meals per day at hawker centres. In contrast only 1.9% of participants usually ate at least 1 meal at fast-food restaurants on a daily basis. Workplace and school canteens were also common dining venues with 20.4% of the participants typically eating at these venues for at least one meal. As such, if the price of fast food does increase, Singaporeans might get their food from other places instead such as hawker centres.

4. Determinants of price elasticity of demand for fast food (Deva Darshini and Ming Hon)
Support from Key Sources:
- (necessity vs luxury) Food is a necessity that people will spend their money on no matter what, and fast food is a cheap way to acquire such food compared to high quality and expensive meals in restaurants. Increasing the prices of fast food will most likely cause the demand of fast food to be price inelastic as food is a necessity and fast food would still be an inexpensive alternative to get food regardless of its price changes.
- (proportion of income & availability of substitutes) Increasing the price of fast food will most likely cause the demand to be price inelastic as it is still an affordable option of food consumption that does not take up much of a household’s income. Researchers found that fast food consumption was related to opportunity costs of the household.  They observed that preparing ethnic foods has a relatively high time-cost so households still preferred consuming fast food despite possible price increases since substitutes and alternatives (e.g. ethic foods) are more expensive.
- (habit) Fast food has highly concentrated amounts of salt and spices that makes the food savoury and addictive. As such, many people enjoy consuming fast food such as burgers and fries, and will most likely continue to do so even if prices increase. According to the Health Line, fast food is addictive as it is delicious and releases chemicals in the body when consumed. These chemicals then get interpreted by the brain as pleasure and satisfaction, encouraging consumers to eat more. As such, people will most likely still consume fast food even if prices increase.
- (time period) Increasing fast food prices over time will most likely only have a small impact on price elasticity of demand for fast food. Boston magazine states that raising prices on unhealthy products such as soda and fast food seems to influence behavior, but not as dramatically. Each 10% increase the results in an estimated 7% drop in the consumption of soft drinks and a 3% drop in fast food consumption.

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Thank you for being in this group project with me. I want to say that this group project is manageable even though we did the project ourselves.

One way to improve is by having more project meet ups regularly so that we can discuss on the group project itself before working on it. This way, it will help the group members to do better.

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Singaporeans like to eat and enjoy fast food

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Each week, TODAY's long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we take a look at Singaporeans' enduring love affair with fast food, which first arrived in Singapore more than five decades ago. This is a shortened version of the feature, which can be found here.
SINGAPORE - When American burger joint Shake Shack opened its doors at Jewel Changi Airport in April, part time service staff Watt Zhong Qing, 29, was one of the first in line.

The fast food fan - who eats fast food about four times a week - is no stranger to queues, as he waited 3.5 hours for a taste of Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee when it first arrived in Singapore back in 2013.

Apart from crazy queues at new outlets, new flavours introduced by fast food chains also tend to generate much buzz, with offerings sometimes sold out in just weeks such as McDonald's Nasi Lemak Burger.

Based on latest figures from the Department of Statistics (SingStat), fast food outlets in Singapore generated a total of about S$1.1 billion in operating receipts in 2016.

Singaporeans' seemingly insatiable appetite for fast-food has helped the sector buck the overall trend in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.

From 2000 to 2018, data from the showed:

10 per cent decline in sales of overall F&B industry

However, sales increased by 29 per cent for fast-food chains

In contrast, restaurant sales dropped 20 per cent while those at other eating places - such as cafes - fell 13 per cent.

The strong showing by fast food chains in Singapore is in contrast with what is happening in the United States. There, many chains are suffering from an oversaturated market and rising labour costs. Greater health consciousness are also causing more American customers to shun these chains.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE
Singapore's love for fast food began in 1968, when the first A&W restaurant opened its doors. Over the years, other chains also entered Singapore, including KFC (1976), McDonald's (1979), Burger King (1982) and Long John Silver's (1983).

More recent entrants are Popeyes (2001), Carl's Junior (2005) and Texas Chicken (2010).

Total number of outlets which some of these chains have currently:

Market share of fast food outlets in Singapore in 2018, based on data by market research firm Euromonitor International:
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Experts say that fast-food chains do particularly well in Singapore because:

The healthy eating movement here is not as prevalent as compared to other countries such as the United States which is tackling high obesity rates

Fast food is not much more expensive than local hawker fare

An English-speaking population exposed to international culture

Singapore's dining out culture: 55 per cent of Singaporeans eat out on a weekly basis, based on a Nielsen survey in 2018.

Singapore is also an "excellent" test bed for fast-food outlets looking to expand or test out new products, said Adjunct Associate Professor Lynda Wee of Nanyang Business School.

Long John Silver's spokesperson described Singapore as a "food capital with a diverse range of cuisines". The chain studies the evolving preferences and needs of consumers here to prepare for its expansion overseas, the spokesperson said.

Why fast-food chains have an edge over restaurants:

Convenience and quick service

Assembly line model which helps to keep costs low

Successful and targeted marketing. "(McDonald's) Happy Meal is one example. The culture already ingrained is that McDonald's is a part of your life... It's nostalgic to a lot of Singaporeans growing up," said F&B consultant and branding specialist Derrick Chew.

STAYING NIMBLE
Despite the sector's success, stiff competition has led to the failure of many global brands trying to establish themselves in Singapore.

It was the main reason that led A&W, despite having a first-mover advantage here, to exit in 2003, experts noted.

With competitors marketing their offerings much better than A&W, the chain faded into obscurity, said Mr Lucas Tok, marketing lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic.

Other barriers to entry:

For Texas Chicken, getting on to food delivery apps has helped it reach more customers, said Mr Eugene Lim, marketing director of Select Group that runs the chain in Singapore.

While technological innovation helps, experts say that it is the service and menu offerings that matter ultimately.

Despite facing high operating costs, manpower shortage and customers' fast-changing tastebuds, fast food chains here have generally been adaptive and responsive to change - especially those that have thrived.

What fast-food chains do to stay on top of the game:
HEALTH CONCERNS
The unhealthy effects of fast food is well-documented.

The release of a documentary "Super Size Me" in 2004 triggered a backlash against the fast food sector in the US.

Over the years, authorities around the world, including Singapore, have taken steps to curtail its marketing to young children.

But the fast food industry here has been spared from any consumer backlash stemming from health concerns - even after the "Super Size Me" documentary gained international prominence.

Experts attribute it to the absence of social media then, and the fact that fast food is not a staple in Singapore, unlike the US.

Fast food fans TODAY spoke to also played down health concerns, adding that it would not be an issue if they ate it in moderation.

Nutritionists say it is unclear whether the availability of healthier options are effective in steering consumers away from junk food.

Healthier options, such as salads, may not necessarily be healthy too, if its dressing is high in fat and sodium, for example.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
While the industry would continue growing, the rising demand for healthier food may pave the way for the rise of fast casual restaurants here, which could provide competition to fast food chains, said Mr Karthik Bakthavathsalem, an F&B lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic.

An intermediate concept between fast food and casual dining, fast casual eatery chains have taken off in the US, including the likes of Shake Shack and Chipotle.

These chains market themselves as offering the same quick and convenient service which consumers can get at fast food chains, but with better ingredients at slightly higher prices.

In the meantime, some are concerned that the enduring popularity of fast food among Singaporeans could come at the expense of homegrown hawkers and food culture.

Food blogger Leslie Tay believes that people of his generation would stay true to hawker food but he was not so sure about the younger generation.

Food critic and consultant K F Seetoh, who founded the Makansutra website, noted that the younger generation grew up inundated by the marketing efforts of fast-food giants.

"Fast-food outlets are winning, but they have not taken over (local food) - not yet," he said.

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The Big Read in short: S'poreans' love for fast food

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Each week, TODAY's long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we take a look at Singaporeans' enduring love affair with fast food, which first arrived in Singapore more than five decades ago. This is a shortened version of the feature, which can be found here.

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                                                                                                                                 STAGE 1 MICROECONOMICS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

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                                                                                                                                 STAGE 1 MICROECONOMICS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS