SINGAPORE, June 20 — A petition calling for food and beverage (F&B) outlets in Singapore to serve free tap water to diners has gained momentum, with more than 900 people signing on since it launched on May 24.
The petition, hosted on Change.org, appeals to the Singapore government to require restaurants that already impose a 10 per cent service charge to offer what petitioners describe as a “basic necessity” without additional cost.
Its creator, Dr Yee Yucai, a consultant with the Internal Medicine department at Singapore General Hospital, said the initiative was sparked by what he sees as a growing trend of restaurants pushing customers to purchase drinks instead of offering free water — despite official efforts to curb sugar intake.
“The last straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when I recently brought my family to an expensive buffet, about US$60 (RM200) per person,” he told AsiaOne yesterday.
“And they had the audacity not to serve water and instead requiring us to pay an extra US$5 for free-flow beverages. I thought it was going too far.”
According to the 2022 National Nutrition Survey, Singaporeans consume an average of 56g of sugar daily, with more than half of that intake coming from sweetened drinks.
The idea of mandating complimentary tap water at eateries is not new.
In 2021, Singapore MP Christopher de Souza asked whether restaurants could be required to provide free table water, highlighting the safety of Singapore’s tap water.
During this year’s Budget debate in March, Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam also raised the issue, urging Singapore’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) to work with F&B outlets, hawker centres and shopping malls to offer low-cost or free drinking water as a standard practice.
In response, Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu pushed back against the idea of making it compulsory under the Environmental Public Health Act, citing the cost implications for businesses.
“While Singapore’s water is safe to drink straight from the tap, it is not free as food and beverage (F&B) establishments have to pay for the water,” she reportedly told Parliament.
“They also incur cost in providing table water such as cost of washing the glasses and containers and in serving the water.”
Dr Yee said he was unaware the topic had previously been brought up in Parliament and expressed disappointment that the proposal appeared to have been “sort of dismissed”.
While acknowledging the ministry’s and businesses’ concerns, he believes the added cost to F&B outlets is marginal.
Citing data from the Public Utilities Board, Dr Yee calculated that two cups of tap water — roughly 400ml — would cost just 0.13 cents per person based on Singapore’s non-domestic water rate of US$3.24 per cubic metre.
“This is negligible when compared to water used for cooking, washing, and other operational needs,” he said.
“I feel something like this [eateries providing free water] is considered a necessity, a basic service.”
