Shefali Srinivas, Vincent Leow, Lim Yong & Chua Hian Hou
Mon, Jun 04, 2007
The Straits Times
Organic food hits the heartland
Toa Payoh
Organic food in Singapore used to occupy a rarefied space, but it is now rapidly making inroads into the heartland. Simply Healthy - an organic store in Toa Payoh Central - is a recent entrant into what could well become the nutrition trend for the year.
Ms Jolene Wong, 37, the woman behind the store, is a former IT consultant, who lost both her mother and older sister to cancer.
When Ms Wong was laid off last year after her company decided to outsource her job, she decided to follow her dream of setting up an organic food store, using up $20,000 of her own savings.
'When my sister was sick, we wanted to buy organic food for her, as we thought it would be good to give her some food without pesticides or chemicals, but it was very difficult to find it,' she said.
While there is no concrete evidence to suggest that organic food has curative properties, many people do believe that it can help them battle a health problem.
'They also say it tastes different and lighter,' she said.
Ms Wong, who is married with three children, says she makes an effort to eat healthy because of the health problems she has seen among her family members.
'Many young people think they can eat what they like now and that they will get sick only in their 50s, but that's not true,' she said.
The store, which opened last December, already has a regular customer base of about 30 to 40 customers. Most are women in their early 30s who work in the HDB Hub offices nearby.
'They buy spinach and pumpkin to mash for their babies.'
Teenagers tend to buy a drink or a snack bar while older aunties make a beeline for the brown rice.
Ms Wong's most unusual customers are two gentlemen. One bought organic sunflower seeds for his sick parrot and another swore that natural bamboo salt, which costs $15, was the only thing that made his back pain go away.
Prices of organic food can be roughly double that of regular supermarket prices, but that doesn't deter most people from investing in a product or two.
'They will usually buy something and ask lots of questions about the health benefits or the organic certification, so awareness is growing,' Ms Wong said.
Simply Healthy
Blk 184, # 01-350, Toa Payoh Central
What's organic?
Food that has been produced by farming techniques with no pesticides and chemicals.
An organic product should preferably be certified organic by an independent body.
How big is organic food in S'pore?
According to a report in The Straits Times in February, there are now more than 40 organic stores, cafes and warehouses in Singapore.
The organic industry is now worth between $6 million and $10 million a year.
The Living Pharmacy, Unity NTUC Healthcare's wellness store, opened its Ang Mo Kio Hub outlet late last year.
The store brings a selection of organic and natural dry goods and cosmetics into the heartland.
But unlike the little organic store in Toa Payoh Central, this one does not stock fresh vegetables.
Instead, it stocks a range of flavoured Thai organic rice, cereals, beans, juices and snacks sourced from all over the world.
Pharmacist Meah Wee Chong said the store's best-selling products include oats and oat bran. Organic brown rice and almond powder are also big sellers; both are a favourite with housewives.
'The younger clientele goes for nuts and juices such as cranberry and grapefruit,' Mr Meah said.
The goods are moving so fast that the store has to renew its stocks every week.
Heartlanders are getting excited about new ingredients such as the organic grain millet. Some ask the pharmacist questions on how to prepare it, or how much to eat in a day.
'The word organic has come to be equated with all things healthy, so even older people are curious about it,' Mr Meah said.
Many also share perceived health benefits from drinking pomegranate juice or other organic fruit juices.
The Living Pharmacy
#B2-21/22/23/24/25
Ang Mo Kio Hub
Do you know of a new organic store in your neighbourhood? Do you think that organic food is over-rated? Or have you seen and felt health benefits from using an organic or natural product?
Please write to us at sthealth@sph.com.sg
