Still for a good cause? Resident questions point of Food Bank vending machines after price hikes

Convenient and reasonably priced - that was how a Food Bank vending machine was to one Bedok resident.

But as the prices of items have increased recently, the resident has begun to question the purpose of the vending machine in the first place.

Posting on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page, Ang Soon Li wrote that he has noticed an increase in prices since 2021.

"We used to go there to get food items once in a while at just $2 for an average of three items… it helped us quite a lot with our food cost," he said.

"The prices increased in 2022 to $3.50, but the items were at least still somewhat worth it."

This year, however, he noted that the selection of grocery items aren't quite the same as before, and that they "simply ain't worth it" when compared with supermarket prices.

Vegetable oil offered by the Food Bank, a charity organisation, is selling for $3.50, he pointed out. The same item goes for $1.80 at NTUC FairPrice.

"The food pantry which is supposed to help provide near-expiry food to the less well-off and those who want to help reduce food waste is now just a glorified choose-your-item food ration for beneficiaries only," he said.

Responding to queries by 8world, a spokesperson from The Food Bank said that the vending machines are for cardholders who have registered with them via social workers.

Cardholders are mostly people in need, the spokesperson said.

The cards receive a monthly top-up equivalent to $50 in points, which used to be sufficient for 25 redemptions at The Food Bank vending machines.

However, this programme has grown to become very popular after its launch and The Food Bank has been dealing with increased demand. Approximately 2,000 cards have been distributed, 8world reported.

"Every time our volunteers restock the vending machines, food items are quickly redeemed. The increase in demand requires more funding and more food donations," the spokesperson explained.

The Food Bank relies on volunteers to inventory donations before transporting and stocking these machines, which are found in 14 locations across the country.

Even before doing that, donations are a must for The Food Bank's operations - and these donations are dwindling.

In order to keep their programme running, they decided to increase the points required for redeeming items from their vending machines from $2 worth of points to $3.50 worth of points last year.

The Food Bank also stressed that they understand that people in need of affordable food may not be able to accept this change in price, thus they're working hard on striking a balance.