Local charity group The Food Bank has been caught charging higher-than-supermarket prices for goods meant for the less fortunate.
Such goods, often donated food items reaching their expiry dates, are distributed across vending machines where they can be purchased by both beneficiaries and the public.
One quick-eyed customer, Ang Soon Li, spotted that a bottle of cooking oil cost twice the price at the Food Bank vending machine at Blk 544 Bedok North Street 3 compared to a similar sold at a NTUC Fairprice supermarket.
The cooking oil was sold at S$3.50, while NTUC Fairprice sells it at S$1.80.
Responding to queries, The Food Bank did not directly explain why it needs to charge twice the supermarket price for a bottle of cooking oil.
Especially, since these are mostly donated items.
However, the organisation said that its vending machines are meant for beneficiaries.
These beneficiaries receive a card with a monthly top-up of S$50 worth of points to spend at these machines.
The Food Bank said that the pricing of food items depends on the needs of the cardholders, as well as any support they receive.
It added that the increase in demand “requires more funding and more food donations”.
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