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Source:
www.stb.gov.sg |
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The Unforgettable Flavours Of
Singapore - Designed With Your Health And Tastebuds In Mind |
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Singapore, a land of diverse races and cultures,
has had a plethora of influences on our cuisine, resulting in a myriad of
mouth-watering foods to suit even the most discerning taste buds. |
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Now in its third phase and fourth year running,
the Singapore Premium Food Gifts (SPFG) programme has reached a new pinnacle
with a range of healthier products added to its stable of favourites. |
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The entire SPFG range of foodstuffs will now be
available for sale ¨C and sampling ¨C at the first-ever concept store in Changi
Airport¡¯s Terminal 1. |
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For the current phase, there are a total of 7 food
manufacturers and 24 different products. Since the inception of the programme
in 2002, there are now a total of 25 participating food manufacturers with
more than 50 SPFG products developed. |
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The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and SPRING
Singapore (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) partnered with the
Singapore Food Manufacturers¡¯ Association (SFMA), for this joint programme. |
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The aim was to package favourite local food as
gifts for visitors who want to take home the unforgettable flavours of
Singapore, for Singapore travellers who want to share a taste of Singapore
with friends abroad and for anyone wishing to recreate a hearty Singaporean
meal in the comfort of their own homes. |
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Singapore Premium Food Gifts are a quintessential
and tasty representative of our diverse gastronomic landscape. They showcase
the best of our Singaporean delights, from everyday hawker fare such as Nonya
laksa and Chinese New Year delicacies like abalone, to the must-have food
companion, sambal chilli. |
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Through this programme, the Singapore Tourism
Board (STB) has enticed the palates of countless visitors, offering them a
more diverse range of Uniquely Singapore gifts to buy home. |
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"Food items have always been popular among our
visitors. For the past two years, food items were the second most popular
shopping item among our visitors, compared to 2002 and 2001 when it was ranked
third. Besides tourists, there are also customers overseas including
Singaporeans living abroad, with a passion for "Made-in-Singapore" food. We
hope that the wider range of Singapore Premium Food Gifts will take
Singapore's unique cuisine and food heritage further afield and help enhance
Singapore's position as a gourmet destination," said Mr Lim Neo Chian, Deputy
Chairman and Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. |
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This year, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) has
come aboard to introduce a new range of healthier SPFG products. This reflects
the growing consumer demand for healthier food choices globally, as reported
in a recent global survey conducted by ACNielsen across 59 countries. |
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Dr Lam Sian Lian, CEO of the Heath Promotion Board
said, ¡°Foods used as gifts are often rich in fat and calories. The range of
Singapore Premium Food Gifts products launched today suggests that consumer
preferences are beginning to change. The attractively packaged food gifts such
as convenience pastes for laksa and chicken rice would make wonderful gifts ¨C
they are not only unique to Singapore and taste good, but are also ¡°lite¡± in
fat, salt and sugar. It goes to show that popular local foods can be enjoyed
without guilt.¡± |
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The Health Promotion Board works very closely with
the local food manufacturers, assisting in modification of their product
formulations to develop healthier products in order to meet the nutritional
standards of HPB¡¯s ¡°Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS)¡±. Products approved to carry
the HCS are lower in fat and sodium while some are higher in dietary fiber, as
compared to similar regular products. |
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For SPRING Singapore, a key objective of the
Singapore Premium Food Gifts programme was to help local food manufacturers
move into higher value added products so as to tap larger markets both locally
and overseas. |
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¡°Singapore is well recognised for our high food
safety and quality standards.¡± said SPRING Singapore¡¯s Chief Executive, Mr Loh
Khum Yean. ¡°Our food manufacturers should leverage on this reputation to
innovate and develop higher-value products to increase their export markets.
The SPFG programme is an excellent platform, especially for SMEs in the food
industry. This reinforces SPRING's strategy to facilitate and fuel the growth
of our local enterprises, by offering assistance in product development,
packaging and branding so as to build a more competitive and vibrant food
sector.¡± |
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To ensure the success of this programme, these
attractively packaged food gifts must be complemented and marketed through
effective retail channels. |
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For the first time, a comprehensive range of the
Singapore Premium Food Gifts products will be available in a flagship store,
called the S.P.F.G Boutique Cafe that is conceived as a hybrid retail-cum-food
and beverage concept. |
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Thanks to the assistance of SPRING Singapore, the
Singapore Tourism Board and the Health Promotion Board, and the support from
the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the concept store set up by Vantage
Gourmet has recently opened its doors to serve the public. |
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Located at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1,
the gateway for many visitors visiting Singapore and a place where travellers
do their last minute shopping for friends and family overseas, the 114 square
metre store is an ideal showcase of Singaporean cuisine, aptly located at the
Departure Hall. |
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The unique concept of marrying a cafe and retail
outlet allows customers to have a complete local dining and shopping
experience. They can see how easily the dishes are prepared on the spot,
sample a taste or even enjoy a full meal before deciding what they want to buy
at the retail section. |
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This hybrid store is a sustainable business model
that will help ensure continuity and development of the Singapore Premium Food
Gifts programme. The opening of the S.P.F.G Boutique Cafe is in itself a
milestone for local food manufacturers and is a testament that a
government-initiated programme can be sustained by the private sector in the
long run. |
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The meals in the S.P.F.G Boutique Cafe are
reminiscent of Singapore¡¯s food centres, with affordable prices ranging
between $4 and $6. It offers great value and lives up well to the Singaporean
adage ¡°cheap and good¡±. The premium gift packs are priced from $7.90 to $190,
and are available in-store. |
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This third and final phase of the Singapore
Premium Food Gifts programme marks an end to the initiative first started by
the Singaporean government, but represents a new beginning, whereby the
government allows the programme to grow into its own. Singapore Premium Food
Gifts aim to cater to the global market area, thus the local food
manufacturers will work closely with Vantage Gourmet to continuously innovate
and fine tune their products to best suit the changing market demands. |
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Joint Media Release by STB,
SPRING & HPB |
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Source:
Singapore Tourism Board Press Release 27
May 2005 |
S.P.F.G Boutique Cafe opens in Changi Airport Terminal 1
