All about food, grocery news

The_King · February 8, 2020

Supermarkets restock shelves after coronavirus concerns lead to queues; some say hoarding is 'ridiculous'

SINGAPORE - Toilet paper rolls have been among the items flying off supermarket shelves amid concerns over the coronavirus, even as stores work steadily to restock products and to reassure shoppers that there is no shortage.

A check of supermarkets across Singapore on Saturday (Feb 8) morning saw larger than usual crowds, although less than on Friday after the coronavirus situation alert was raised a notch from yellow to orange.

Toilet rolls, tissue paper, rice and instant noodles were among the items most commonly seen in trolleys.

A customer at the Isetan Scotts supermarket was overheard on Saturday wryly telling someone over the phone: "There are now only three people in Singapore with all the toilet paper."

The Straits Times visited FairPrice, Cold Storage, Sheng Siong, Isetan, Meidi-Ya and Prime supermarkets in areas like Canberra, Serangoon North, Hougang, Orchard, Holland, Clementi and Pasir Ris on Saturday morning.

Long queues were still seen, never mind the advice that people should avoid crowded places.

Staff were also busily restocking some sections.

At FairPrice in Beo Crescent, many trolleys were packed with toilet rolls.

Some attribute the rush for paper products to unsubstantiated rumours about the supply.

A 55-year-old administrator who wanted to be known as Madam Moey said that people are stocking up on paper products as they are versatile and people are now wiping surfaces more.

"But my family size is quite small, so there is no need to stock up too much and we should not get too stressed over it," she said.

At another FairPrice in Joo Koon, a customer was checking out with 16 bags of rice in his trolley.

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A customer was checking out with 16 bags of rice in his trolley at the FairPrice Hub in Joo Koon. ST PHOTO: THOMAS WHITE

https://youtu.be/QM_ecqmg0fo

Over at the FairPrice in Pasir Ris West Plaza, domestic worker Miu Miu, 30, who queued for 45 minutes to buy the last available carton of eggs, said: "So many items were missing, it's as though the store was giving them away for free."

Cargo driver Ben Aguilar, 33, who was shopping at FairPrice in Hougang 1, said he usually shops on Saturdays as it's his day off. "It has never been this crowded. I bought a lot of processed meat since all the fresh meat has already run out."

He, however, is unfazed by the situation: "It's Singapore, it should be fine."

Insurance agent Jeff Chiew, 29, and his wife, who made a trip to Sheng Siong supermarket in Canberra just as it opened, said they are stocking up on instant noodles, which they do not usually eat.

He said: "Since everyone is stocking up, we're also doing the same but just buying a little more for standby. Nothing too crazy."

The couple also decided to not make their weekly weekend trip to Malaysia in light of code orange and to stay home instead.

Shoppers at Sheng Siong supermarket in Canberra on Feb 8, 2020. ST PHOTOS: ALPHONSUS CHERN

Shoppers queueing at the FairPrice Xtra outlet in VivoCity on Feb 8, 2020. PHOTOS: ST READER

But not everyone is buying into the frenzy.

Mother-of-one Latifah Kamil, 31, described the situation as "ridiculous" and said she will not be buying anything she doesn't need.

"I'm a bit worried because my kid is five-months-old and I will take extra safety precautions, but I won't go out and stock up on food. It's not like we're stuck at home; life still goes on as usual," she said.

IT consultant Howard Chong, 39, and his wife, who were out on their weekly grocery run, decided to buy only a few more packets of frozen processed foods for "just in case" situations.

Grocery delivery slots have been snapped up, as more opt to stay home or avoid crowded places.

Checks by The Straits Times showed that delivery slots on RedMart,FairPrice and Amazon's Prime Now were sold out.

A spokesman for Dairy Farm said it has seen a significant increase in demand for delivery orders from Cold Storage and Giant over the last two weeks, and has added additional capacity to cope.

"Hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial wipes and surgical masks have all seen huge spikes in demand. We are working hard to ensure adequate supplies despite significant supply challenges across the entire market in Singapore," a spokesman said.

A Sheng Siong spokesman told The Straits Times on Saturday that the chain has sufficient inventory in Singapore for food supplies and toiletries to meet customers' daily needs.

"Our staff are also working overtime to ensure stocks are replenished in time due to the demand surge," the spokesman said. "There is an increase in sales, but we advise customers to purchase their daily needs only."

A supervisor at Isetan Scotts said on Saturday that the empty shelves were a result of people buying to stock up due to the orange status. All the Thai rice were bought up and will be replenished on Monday.

Meat was also snapped up as people were stocking up to freeze, the supervisor said.

Shelves at Isetan Scotts on Feb 8, 2020. ST PHOTOS: IRENE THAM

There was much less frenzied buying at wet markets and smaller neighbourhood supermarkets, though.

At the Clementi Avenue 2 market, a housewife who wanted to be known as Madam Rokiah said she came from the nearby FairPrice because vegetables there were sold out.

"Lucky the pasar (market) here still has things I need to cook for my family," she said.

"I think it's not nice to buy too much," she added, "because that would mean that I'm depriving someone else who might need it more".

At a community event on Saturday (Feb 8), President Halimah Yacob urged Singaporeans to remain calm and to not succumb to behaviours that are "not helpful to ourselves or our community".

"The Government is giving very regular, almost daily, updates on what's happening and the current status to be absolutely upfront, but it may create a sense of urgency in people. I hope that people take this information and process it in a rational manner," she said.

President Halimah, who was visiting elder care centre Blossom Seeds in Canberra, also appealed to Singaporeans to not put up photos without context as "it creates a lot of context, panic and fear".

After the raised alert on Friday, photos and posts of long queues at supermarkets and empty shelves were circulated on social media.

In a Facebook post, FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng said he had dropped by one of its 24-hour stores at 11.30pm on Friday to assess the situation.

FairPrice employees have all been working non-stop and calmly, he said.

There were long queues but customers were calm. Some said they were buying more because they were worried they might not be able to leave their homes because of the virus.

"These are natural reactions and normal human instincts," he said. "Let us buy what we need and there is no need to hoard. We have supplies but we need time to replenish and do the supply runs."

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-supermarkets-restock-shelves-after-coronavirus-concerns-lead-to-queues-some

The_King · February 8, 2020

Coronavirus: Psychological society lists 7 ways to manage panic following food, grocery buying sprees

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Psychological Society has weighed in on the recent spate of panic buying, following the Republic's shift in its response level to the coronavirus on Friday (Feb 7).

The Disease Outbreak Response System Condition was raised from yellow to orange following the confirmation of four cases of the coronavirus infection here with no travel history to China or links to previous cases.

Reports later followed of people here buying large amounts of food and provisions from shops here, even as leaders called for calm.

This is a result of the way our brains work, wrote the society in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Founded in 1979, the society's members include psychologists and specialists in the field.

It said: "In modern society, numerous risks lurk around every corner. Whenever people witness an emergency situation or see someone getting harmed, our brains are hardwired to react in a certain way."

In times of uncertainty, a part of the brain which deals with emotions hijacks the regions of the brain's cognitive system that analyse and interpret behaviour.

This results in panic and groupthink behaviour, said the society, leading in turn to fight-or-flight or survival mode being activated in individuals.

"Such primal instincts date back to prehistoric times, where we needed to be on the constant lookout for danger in order to survive. The same primal instincts are activated in our present-day crises. We are hyper-focusing on the virus," it said.

While the objective of this mode is to keep us as individuals safe and protected, it however also inadvertently results in negative impacts on society, including xenophobia, high stress and panic buying.

"Panic buying further breeds anxiety rather than alleviates it, creating a downward spiral of panic and anxiety," wrote the society.

However, the post also noted that despite being wired for self-preservation, humans are also capable of responding in ways that benefit society as a whole.

The society highlighted seven ways for people to manage their fight-or-flight response, and instead behave in a manner that is helpful to society:

First, people need to acknowledge their commonality amid the crisis, validating and acknowledging each other's fears, naming them and pausing to consider their responses.

Second, they need to respect each other, asserting their feelings of discomfort or anxiety if the topic gets too difficult to handle, and likewise noticing discomfort in loved ones and respecting their decision not to engage with the topic if necessary.

Third, there is a need for everyone to exercise individual responsibility and buy as they need.

"Hoarding necessities also prevents others from attaining them, especially those who may need it more than you do. This creates huge inconvenience to others, and in turn, promotes a climate of hostility," wrote the society.

Fourth, people should intentionally expand their sources of information, and avoid getting consumed by inaccurate updates.

Fifth, they need to pause to think about how airing one's grievances, especially online, could generate additional stress and tension.

"We could seek to understand different perspectives and choices, rather than engage in the blame game," added the society.

Sixth, people should turn to reliable sources of information and fact check, which can help to ground those who are feeling overwhelmed with inconsistencies in the media.

Finally, the society advised those who require professional help to seek it.

It added: "Let us protect not only our physical health but also our mental health and the community we live in. Together we can play a part in building a more resilient society in the face of crisis."

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/coronavirus-psychological-society-lists-7-ways-to-manage-panic-following-food

stemcell · February 8, 2020

restock those useless stuff

The_King · February 8, 2020

Coronavirus: No shortage of food here, say leaders in appeal for calm amid panic buying

SINGAPORE - Political leaders and experts have come out in force to call for calm and urge people to be responsible, following a second day of panic buying of provisions at stores here.

Photos and videos of empty supermarket shelves and people purchasing large amounts of food flooded social media after Singapore raised its response level to the coronavirus outbreak from yellow to orange on Friday (Feb 7).

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli emphasised, however, that Singapore has enough food stocks, with others like MP for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah saying that the island's supply chains remain intact, and sociologist Paulin Straughan condemning the hoarding behaviour as "irrational".

On Saturday, President Halimah Yacob urged Singaporeans not to succumb to behaviours that are "not helpful to ourselves or our community".

"The Government is giving very regular, almost daily, updates on what's happening and the current status to be absolutely upfront, but it may create a sense of urgency in people. I hope that people take this information and process it in a rational manner," she said.

Mr Masagos said the challenge is in transporting the food from warehouses to shelves islandwide so that they are always filled, and that the recent panic buying of food from stores would contribute to false impressions of a food shortage.

"This is not the way to meet challenges that our country is facing - all we have to do is keep calm," he said.

Ms Lee said: "Ironically, the only thing leading to empty shelves is the panic buying."

But she noted that it seemed to be dying down as of yesterday evening, with shorter queues and restocking efforts catching up.

"If people stop panic buying, the restocking can catch up within a day," she added, emphasising that Singapore's food supply chains remain intact.

MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling felt that the panic buying revealed fears about Singapore going into a lockdown situation similar to that of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.

"There's no curfew, there's no lockdown... Just that everyone's being asked to be more cautious," she said.

"People's anxiety can be fully understood, but if it's going to go into panic that's not going to be very helpful. We need to be clearer about what situation we're in."

She added that she met residents on Saturday morning and explained what going to code orange means.

"The most important thing is to keep calm - the Government and NTUC have given assurance that there's enough. But if everyone's buying much more than they need, then it'll be quite challenging," she said.

Infectious diseases expert, Dr Paul Tambyah, agreed that fear of quarantine was likely driving people to stock up on groceries and other essentials.

"People are afraid that if they get quarantined, they will not be able to leave the house during the two-week quarantine period, and be unable to stock up on their favourite chocolate or other items," he said.

The Singapore Psychological Society also weighed in on Saturday on its Facebook page, posting a list of seven things people here can do to help manage their fight-or-flight response to the situation.

Professor Straughan of Singapore Management University said that the food items being hoarded - tinned goods, dried food and rice - reflected a concern for the long haul.

She added that most of the time, "irrational acts" such as hoarding occur when there is a lack of information, or if people do not trust the information they are given.

However, she added: "People don't act (like this) without some truth to their fears.

"We've seen situations where masks, thermometers and sanitisers have disappeared, so it feeds in to this perception that food might disappear next - or even toilet paper."

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-no-shortage-of-food-here-say-leaders-in-appeal-for-calm-amid-panic-buying

The_King · February 8, 2020

Coronavirus: Ample stock in Singapore, no need to hoard, says FairPrice group CEO

SINGAPORE - Buy what you need, without hoarding, as there is enough stock in the inventory, said supermarket chain FairPrice's group chief executive Seah Kian Peng on Saturday (Feb 8).

FairPrice's existing inventory includes over nine million rolls of toilet paper, 1.2 million packs of instant noodles and four million kg of rice, with more coming in through routine daily shipments, he added.

"If you want to buy a little bit more, go ahead, but there's no need to create a stockpile at home because if everyone is trying to do it on the same day and at the same time, it adds strain to the system," said Mr Seah.

"If you don't have to buy (your groceries) today or tomorrow, you can buy any day of the week because we have plenty of stocks."

He was speaking to the media at the NTUC FairPrice's Benoi Distribution Centre, one of three distribution centres, on Saturday (Feb 8).

On Friday, hours after Singapore raised its disease outbreak response to the coronavirus situation by a notch from yellow to orange, items began flying off shelves at supermarkets across Singapore.

Non-perishables such as rice, instant noodles, toilet and tissue paper were wiped out within hours in some supermarkets.

The demand for rice increased five times while instant noodles was four times and toilet paper 2.5 times on Friday, he said.

But FairPrice has already gradually increased incoming supply from suppliers by three times, in part as preparation for the Chinese New Year, a usual practice, added Mr Seah.

Outgoing supply - from the distribution centres to stores - have also increased two-fold.

Yesterday's supermarket frenzy was something he "did not expect", but Mr Seah stressed that there is an ample stock of essential supplies and food to go around.

At the moment, Mr Seah said there is no need for a price hike.

"We are here to help moderate the cost of living so we always try to hold the prices as stable and as affordable as we can," he added.

But he does not rule out the possibility of placing buying limitations on certain products if the overbuying situation does not ease, without specifying which items.

As staff race to restock the shelves, he asked that shoppers be patient as more manpower has been activated to step up to the demand.

Lead hand logistic assistant Yusman Ahmad, 48, said this was one of the busiest periods ever in his 26 years working in the FairPrice distribution centre. Sunday is his rest day, but he is on standby to come back to work.

He said: "Usually it's only this busy leading up to Chinese New Year, now even though the festive season is ending, it still feels like it's Chinese New Year but it's okay, it's my job."

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-ample-stock-in-singapore-no-need-to-hoard-fairprice-group-ceo