MHA reviews restrictions on food with alcohol content
Ice cream containing more than 0.5 per cent of alcohol may not be off limits after 10.30pm in the future.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement yesterday that it is in discussions with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and industry stakeholders to look into providing an exemption for the sale of food products containing alcohol, where there is little or low likelihood of alcohol abuse.
Exempted products can be sold and consumed without the restrictions specified under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act.
The Act came into force in 2015 to restrict the sale of liquor at retail outlets and consumption of liquor in public places, in a bid to minimise public disorder.
In the statement, MHA said "the measures have significantly reduced public drunkenness and related disamenities".
The Straits Times understands that the possible changes could affect alcoholic ice cream sold at supermarkets, for example.
In April, supermarket chain FairPrice decided to restrict the sale of Udders ice cream with alcohol content exceeding 0.5 per cent from 10.30pm to 7am to comply with the Act.
Four of Udders' flavours were affected: Rum Rum Raisin (3.9 per cent alcohol), Tira-miss-u (3.8 per cent alcohol), Wineberries (3.5 per cent alcohol) and Orange Liqueur Dark Choc (2.7 per cent alcohol).
A can of Tiger Beer has 5 per cent alcohol by volume.
The ice cream came into the spotlight after a Facebook user uploaded a photo of a sign at a FairPrice Xpress outlet in Bedok that read: "Udders ice cream. No sale of Rum Raisin from 10.30pm to 7am".
Ms Wong Peck Lin, co-owner of the home-grown ice cream parlour, welcomes the review.
"If food products containing alcohol are exempted from the Act, we hope to see more sales at FairPrice Finest and Cheers," she said.
This is especially because she estimates that about 80 per cent of sales of alcoholic ice cream at Udders outlets are at night.
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