Singaporean supermarkets are expanding the range of eco-products they offer in response to growing demand from shoppers.
NZTE’s Trade Commissioner in Singapore, Ziena Jalil, says the country’s green movement is gaining momentum and New Zealand companies are well placed to supply what consumers want.
“Eco-consciousness among consumers and supermarkets is going hand-in-hand. Retailers are prepared to stock more green products and introduce green features and practices because they know they have support from shoppers.
“New Zealand should be leveraging its advantage,” she says. We are seen as being one of the most trusted food suppliers in the world so Kiwi companies that front up with environmentally sustainable food and beverage products and promote that as a differentiator have a head start.”
In the last five years, the range of eco-friendly products sold in Singapore’s Cold Storage chain of 42 supermarkets has risen from 10 to more than 100 and sales have posted double digit growth year-on-year.
Recently, Cold Storage has moved towards stocking sustainable seafood with shark’s fin and other shark products taken off the shelves and replaced with more than 10 sustainable seafood items. That includes red snapper from New Zealand and mussels from Australia.
The move has come out of a partnership between the supermarket chain and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to promote the consumption of seafood that is caught or farmed responsibly.
New Zealand is a world leader in sustainable fisheries management and has twice, in recent years, been ranked the world’s most sustainable fishery.
The shopping environment in Singapore is also changing.
Cold Storage has opened its first green supermarket with features such as energy-saving lighting and chillers. The store joins a two year old eco-friendly FairPrice outlet which has expanded its range of environmentally friendly products to more than 400 items.
Other initiatives include hypermarket Carrefour introducing dedicated checkout lanes for shoppers that bring their own shopping bags.
Food and beverages account for more than 70 percent of New Zealand’s exports to Singapore with seafood being an important component, along with meat and dairy products.
