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Ever feel like your supermarket haul could use an upgrade? Look no further than the local produce section! These fresh picks aren't just tasty; they're also reliable and fresh, straight from Singapore's innovative farms!
What is local produce?
Local produce refers to fruits, vegetables, eggs, and fish, grown or raised by farms in Singapore! Most local farms, such as VegeMagic and Greenhood, produce high-quality food using controlled environments and vertical farms to overcome Singapore's land and soil constraints.
They are also backed by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), which stresses the imperative nature of local produce for Singapore's future as it helps reduce carbon emissions and food wastage while ensuring the country's food security.
The star system: How to identify local produce?
So when you go shopping, how do you differentiate between local and non-local produce? Well, all you have to do is look for the bright red "SG Fresh Produce" label (SGFP), which indicates that your produce was grown in Singapore (shown below).
This SGFP red logo certifies how fresh the produce is, as it is only given to foods that the SFA has personally verified to be safe, local, and fresh. SFA has also incorporated a star system to help you identify how the local produce was grown. Here's a breakdown:
These can be found at most major supermarkets, like NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage (CS Fresh), Redmart, and farmers' markets. Additionally, supermarkets like NTUC have partnered with the SFA to make a special local produce-only section, as shown on the left. This section is certified to contain food grown by local farms in Singapore.
Not-so-local stars: Lookalike produce
Some fruits and vegetables might seem local such as the "Local Lettuce" variant; however, they are only local to the country where they were produced, not Singapore. Only products with the SGFP red logo are 100% grown locally; other products without the logo may have been imported.
Why go local?
Freshness: Local produce travels a shorter distance, arriving at stores fresher and retaining more nutrients.
Fewer trips to the doctor: Most local produce is 100% chemical and pesticide-free!
Levels Up Flavor: Locally grown fruits and veggies travel less, so they arrive at the store fresher and taste much better!
Support SG: Buying local helps Singapore's agricultural industry thrive, creating jobs for real people.
Restaurants recognizing local stars:
When dining out, watch for the FTT (Farm-to-Table) symbol. This indicates that restaurants use a specific amount of local produce on their menus. The FTT program has tiers, with higher tiers using more local ingredients.
Source: Singapore Food Agency
Think you can spot local produce? Try our quiz below!
Is this locally farmed?
Local farmed of course!
Not locally farmed :(
Is this locally farmed?
Locally farmed
Not locally farmed!!
Is this locally farmed?
Locally farmed delight!
Not locally farmed
Is this locally farmed?
Locally farmed of course!
Imported and not locally farmed
Answers: Not local, local, not local, local
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