SINGAPORE – Unit pricing for common grocery items will be introduced at selected outlets across four major supermarket operators.

NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage and Giant, Sheng Siong, and Prime will display unit pricing for items such as rice, meat, eggs, cooking oils, fruits and vegetables.

Announcing this on March 15, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said that in addition to the price of the product, consumers will also be able to see the price per unit displayed on the shelf, such as “per litre” or “per kilogram”.

“This will provide consumers with relative price information to guide their purchasing decisions,” said DPM Gan.

He added that as part of the pilot initiative, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) will also conduct a market survey to gather feedback from consumers on the display and benefits of unit prices.

DPM Gan said: “We hope that the use of unit pricing will improve price transparency, help consumers make choices to stretch their dollar, and deter retailers from pricing gimmicks.”

The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) had introduced unit pricing on more than 1,200 grocery items on its Price Kaki mobile app, which has now over 170,000 downloads.

The Price Kaki app displays unit pricing for over 6,000 items to date, allowing consumers to compare the prices of products across different brands and package sizes.

DPM Gan said that results from the market survey by CCCS will help shape guidelines on unit pricing, and plans to roll out unit pricing more widely at a later stage.

To better protect consumers, DPM Gan said the Government has convened a Consumer Protection Review Panel.

In his speech at an appreciation dinner for the partners of Case, he said the panel will study how consumer rights can be strengthened, including recourse for defective goods and failure to deliver services.

It comes amid an increase in e-commerce complaints and a fourfold increase in pre-payment losses reported by consumers in 2024 compared to the previous year.

Pre-payment losses occur when consumers make payment for services in advance, only for the business to close or become unresponsive.

Pre-payment losses