Bukit Canberra hawkers need not offer free meals under new deal

Hawker centre management says clauses to be scrapped from renewed contracts in Sept

- Ang Qing

The management of Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre will scrap clauses requiring hawkers to provide free meals when their contracts are renewed in September.

Following days of public outcry, the management said in a Facebook post on Aug 15 night that it may not proceed with its Pay-It-Forward initiative in its current form, which contractually required stallholders to provide free meals for the needy each month at their own expense, or risk being penalised.

It added that it was making a public commitment that it does not intend to enforce the obligation in the future.

The hawker centre is run by Canopy Hawkers Group, a subsidiary of Food Canopy.

Debate surrounding the Pay-it-Forward initiative first gained traction on Aug 8 when veteran food critic K.F. Seetoh criticised the management's attempt at "forced charity" in a Facebook post, which included a screenshot of the contract.

On Aug 11, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who oversees the ward where the hawker centre is located, said on Facebook that hawkers did not face penalties if they did not provide the meals.

However, a 2022 contract shown to the media, including The Sunday Times, indicated that hawkers could chalk up demerit points if they did not provide the meals.