Vegetables from 4 local farms removed from FairPrice shelves | The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/locally-grown-vegetables-from-at-least-4-spore-farms-to-be-taken-off-supermarket-shelves     As of July 10, 2026, supermarket giant **FairPrice** is planning to completely delist vegetables from at least four local urban farms by **August 13, 2026**.   The decision is part of FairPrice's regular "category assortment refresh" for its vegetable aisle, highlighting a complex tension between commercial retail demands, customer price sensitivity, and Singapore’s national push for local food security.   ### 1. The Affected Farms & Produce The four impacted urban farms have been supplying FairPrice since around 2019, primarily offering premium leafy greens and kale. They include:    * **Artisan Green:** Located in a 300 sq m vertical facility in Kallang. Products facing delisting include baby spinach, lettuce medley, and a kale/spinach mix retailing between $5.40 and $6.90 per pack.    * **SG Veg Farms:** Operates two rooftop farms in Sembawang. Under its *S.Veggies* brand, it sells traditional Asian leafy greens at more affordable price points ($1.65 to $2.98 per pack) across 15 to 20 FairPrice outlets.    * **Sustenir:** One of Singapore's most recognizable indoor vertical farming brands. It confirmed that a portion of its seven produce lines will be removed.    * **Netafarm:** A Neo Tiew-based farm and R&D facility under the Netatech Group.   ### 2. Commercial Fallout and Financial Strain The sudden loss of FairPrice shelf space—which spans about 160 outlets across the island—poses an existential risk to some of these farms, particularly those heavily reliant on a single grocery partner.    * **Massive Downscaling:** Netafarm, which once harvested 60,000 packs of greens a month, has already been forced to downscale dramatically to just 1,000 packs a month sold directly to private clients. Eight farmers have lost their jobs.    * **Urgent Pivot Required:** SG Veg Farms noted that nearly all of its harvests go directly to FairPrice. Its founder, Eyleen Goh, called the sudden need to replace that massive sales volume "extremely challenging" and a serious threat to the farm's viability.    * **Rising Operational Overheads:** This delisting hits local farms at a time when they are already fighting severe inflationary pressures. Due to global geopolitical tensions, farms are grappling with skyrocketing costs for electricity, transport, and fertilizers.   ### 3. Price Disparity: The Import Challenge The root cause of the delisting ties back to consumer demand and price. Locally grown vegetables can cost up to **1.5 times more** than imports trucked in from Malaysia or shipped from China. While some consumers actively buy local greens because they are pesticide-free and fresher, many mass-market supermarket shoppers ultimately prioritize budget. FairPrice stated its goal is to continually refine its assortment to provide consumers with a "relevant and value-driven selection."   ### 4. Mitigation and Alternative Routes Despite the setback, several of the farms are exploring alternative business models and channels:    * **Diversified Retail:** Artisan Green will continue to sell its produce through RedMart, Cold Storage, Little Farms, Meidi-Ya, Ryan’s Grocery, as well as directly to hotels and restaurants. Its founder hopes to scale up to a larger 2-hectare farm by late 2026 to achieve better price parity.    * **Expanding Other Platforms:** Competitors like RedMart currently partner with 13 local farms and are onboarding six more. Cold Storage carries six local brands.    * **Government Support:** The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that the overall impact on Singapore's total local vegetable supply (which rose slightly to 16,600 tonnes in 2025) will be limited. SFA is actively assisting the affected farms by helping them look into alternate distribution networks and aggregating consumer demand through other retailers.

How come no chanting of Messi?

Wah the colour is healthy