A woman in her 40s was diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance, or poor blood sugar control, after taking a health product that she obtained from a relative in Malaysia.
The item, Herba Saraf, which was bought online, was labelled to contain herbal ingredients for the relief of pain, such as joint pain and migraine.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said in a statement on Tuesday that the woman had taken it for one month for her knee pain. She stopped taking the product immediately after suspecting that her impaired glucose tolerance was caused by Herba Saraf.
Impaired glucose tolerance is a condition that may increase one's risk of diabetes and heart disease.
HSA said the product was tested and found to contain dexamethasone, a potent steroid that is a prescription-only medicine that should only be used under medical supervision.
HSA said the product was tested and found to contain dexamethasone, a potent steroid that is a prescription-only medicine that should only be used under medical supervision.Photo: Health Sciences Authority
The authority added that inappropriate and prolonged use of steroids can result in Cushing's syndrome, increased blood glucose levels leading to diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, muscular and bone disorders, and an increased risk of infections.
Herba Saraf is just one of three products that HSA tested and found potent undeclared ingredients.
HSA also found high levels of mercury in two other cosmetic sets from Malaysia: 'Wonderglow' and 'Tati Skin Care 5 in 1'.
Wonderglow cosmetic set from Malaysia.Photo: Health Sciences Authority
Both items are being sold online. A woman was detained at the Causeway on Dec 2 last year while attempting to bring the cosmetic sets into Singapore.
'Wonderglow' was marketed as an anti-wrinkle and anti-ageing product, with claims to brighten the skin in "as early as three days". It was also falsely labelled as "100 per cent No Mercury Guaranteed".
However, HSA found that the night cream in the Wonderglow set contained very high levels of mercury, exceeding permissible limits by 7,000 times.
'Wonderglow' was marketed as an anti-wrinkle and anti-ageing product, with claims to brighten the skin in "as early as three days".Photo: Health Sciences AuthorityHSA found that the night cream in the Wonderglow set contained very high levels of mercury, exceeding permissible limits by 7,000 times.Photo: Health Sciences Authority
HSA had alerted the public to stop buying and using the 'Tati Skin Care 5 in 1' in June last year, but the product has resurfaced online again.
Tests showed that the 'Therapy Cream 1' in the set contained mercury exceeding the permissible limits by close to 50,000 times.
HSA had alerted the public to stop buying and using the 'Tati Skin Care 5 in 1' in June last year, but the product has resurfaced online again.Photo: Health Sciences Authority
'Therapy Cream 2' in the set was tested to contain hydroquinone and tretinoin. Both are potent western ingredients that should only be used under medical supervision.
HSA said long-term exposure to cosmetic products with high levels of mercury can cause serious health consequences, including damage to the kidneys, and digestive and nervous systems. Inappropriate use of hydroquinone and tretinoin could cause adverse skin reactions such as redness, burning and peeling of the skin.
HSA advises consumers to stop using all three products and to see a doctor as soon as possible if you have taken Herba Saraf.
Consumers should also be cautious when purchasing health products online or from unfamiliar sources, even if they are recommended by friends or relatives, advised HSA.
HSA also issued a warning to sellers and suppliers of the illegal health products.
Anyone who supplies illegal health products is liable to prosecution and if convicted, may be imprisoned for up to three years and fined up to $100,000.
It's almost deja vu. First, the Nasi Lemak burger from McDonald's Singapore was sold out in less than two weeks. Now, another crowd favourite - the chocolate pie - faces the same fate.
In less than two weeks since it was introduced, the long-awaited chocolate pie is now out of stock islandwide. McDonald's announced the news by posting a comment on their Facebook page:
The fast-food chain added that it will be offering their apple pie and red bean pie at only $1 each for a limited time period.
McDonald's explained in another comment: "As it (chocolate pie) is a promotional item, it won't be coming back anytime soon."
The dessert, which contains molten lava chocolate, was introduced along with other seasonal offerings like the Fish & Fries on March 1, 2018 and sold for $1.40 each.
There have been mixed reviews for the chocolate pie, which was a hit when it was launched in Japan, Korea and Thailand. While the version here is not entirely the same since the ingredients are halal, one colleague who'd tried the one in Korea said the taste is comparable. The filling is molten but doesn't achieve a lava-like flow, even though we heated it up in the microwave.
So will McDonald's reintroduce it again or make it permanent, just like what they did for the popular Nasi Lemak burger?
For now, fans (and those who've yet to try the viral chocolate pie) will have to make do with the $1 apple or red bean pies. Or, get your choco pie fix overseas.
SINGAPORE - Singapore said on Wednesday it was investigating two local companies accused of supplying luxury goods to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions.
Citing a leaked draft of a UN report, British broadcaster BBC said earlier this week the two firms were OCN and T Specialist, sister companies that share the same director.
"The Singapore authorities are aware of these cases and we are in correspondence with the UN Panel on them," Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
"In respect of the two companies mentioned in the BBC report - OCN and T-Specialist - our authorities have commenced investigations into these companies. However, we are unable to provide additional details as investigations are ongoing."
Under UN sanctions, it has been illegal to sell luxury items to North Korea since 2006.
In a post that has since gone viral with over 6,000 shares, Facebook user Ahmad Matin shared a page from the Rowan Luc book, titled 'Complete Guide to GCE O-Level Social Studies Vol 1', which discusses Socio-Economic Status (SES) in Singapore.
The 38-year-old said he came across the book at a prominent local bookstore.
Besides naming education level, income, occupation and ownership of wealth as factors affecting SES, the book also compared choices that people from different social classes would apparently make.
For instance, according to the book, using formal English to converse indicates you are from a higher SES while speaking Singlish implies that you are from a lower SES.
The book has been criticised by netizens for its "inaccurate" generalisations of Singaporeans.
Responding to a query by Stomp, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education (MOE) said the book "is not on the Ministry of Education’s Approved Textbook List."
"Commercial learning materials approved by MOE will bear the Ministry’s stamp of approval on their front cover or inside the book," added the spokesman.
In response to the outrage, distributor MarketAsia said that the particular section of the book should be "read in context of the whole chapter, which discusses crucial themes pertaining to Singapore's social mobility and inequality issues".
According to The Straits Times, this section corresponds to chapters four to seven of MOE's new social studies syllabus, introduced last year, about diversity in Singapore. It also deals with topics like race and religion.
SINGAPORE - Much has been said about Bhutan and its Gross National Happiness (GNH) index - a philosophy of measuring prosperity and well-being of its citizens over gross domestic product.
The Himalayan kingdom has been labelled as the 'happiest place on Earth' and that simple tagline has enticed travellers all over the world to visit Bhutan - mostly to seek that same happiness the country and her people are known for.
But what is the secret behind Bhutan's success and are her people truly happy? It seems like Singaporean director Dr Loretta Chen might have the answers to that.
Chen, who is also an entrepreneur and a professor based in Hawaii, is currently working on a travelogue that seeks to uncover the secrets of Bhutan's GNH and how it balances modernity in the wake of evolving socio-economic change.
Together with conservation and wildlife photographer Brian Doyle as the documentary's director of photography, the two aim to capture the innate DNA, culture and soul of the Bhutanese people in two half-hour episodes.
According to Chen, the documentary is scheduled to be broadcast on an international channel in March 2019. Filming is slated to begin in December.
Although the documentary is supported by the Tourism Council of Bhutan and the State Trading Corporation of Bhutan, a remaining US$25,000 (S$32,860) is still needed before filming commences.
"The bulk of the money raised came from friends and supporters who knew about my philantrophic work," said Chen, who helped raised funds in 2014 to rebuild a 17th century monastery and monastic school for orphan monks in Paro.
Photo: Shin Min Daily NewsChen (2nd from right) at Euta Goemba, a 17th century monastery in Paro, Bhutan, that she helped raise funds to rebuild.Photo: Dr Loretta Chen
Chen with a group of young monks at Euta Goemba.Photo: Dr Loretta Chen
The 41-year-old has also forked out her own savings in order to produce the documentary, which she believes is a way of paying it forward to the country and the Bhutanese people, whom she said has "deeply moved" her.
IN LOVE WITH BHUTAN
Chen's first foray into Bhutan in 2012 came in the form of work. Her resume was circulated and handpicked by the then chairman of government-linked investment arm Druk Holdings and Investments.
She initially entered the country to conduct a series of training. Before she knew it, one thing led to another and over a period of four years, Chen worked as a consultant and corporate traner with various government agencies, including Bhutan Telecoms.
Chen said her love for Bhutan has lasted till today.
"I don't think I could ever leave Bhutan, as I have such close ties with the kingdom and her people. My serendipitous encounter with Bhutan is once again testimony to the fact that once you open your heart to love, light and positivity, doors open," said Chen.
Chen told AsiaOne that the film project is her "ode and love song to the kingdom". It is also a form of thank you to the country and what "her people have done for me".
"The documentary is part memoir, part travel documentary and part reality show - but 100 per cent heart," she explained.
I don't think I could ever leave Bhutan, as I have such close ties with the kingdom and her people. My serendipitous encounter with Bhutan is once again testimony to the fact that once you open your heart to love, light and positivity, doors open.
- Dr Loretta Chen, director
The film project was first conceptualised in 2016 for World Happiness Day. However, Chen ripped both her knees surfing in August 2015 and the project was put on hold. The soon-to-be director now plans to film in Bhutan over a two-month period.
SECRETS TO HAPPINESS?
But does Chen truly believe that she has uncovered the secrets to happiness in Bhutan?
"Yes, I do think the Bhutanese are happy or at least, they are content. In the Buddhist tradition, which believes in the concept of karma, wherever we are in this life is because of our previous life, so there is an acceptance of what this life metes out.
"And it is this sense of contentment that leads to happiness which may be misconstrued in the Western sense," said Chen.
She also attributes the Bhutanese sense of happiness to the number of young graduates who return to Bhutan, even though they have had the opportunity to be educated overseas.
Chen with Bhutanese girls at Euta Goemba monastery.Photo: Dr Loretta Chen
"Her (Bhutan's) citizens will almost always return home for that is where their hearts are. Now if that is not a metric or marker of contentment, I do not know what else is."
For Chen, returning to the Land of the Thunder Dragon for this TV documentary is perhaps a homecoming of sorts for her as well.
Finland has emerged as the happiest nation in the world in the sixth World Happiness Report.
Norway, which topped the list last year, finished second in the 2018 report, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.
The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations, ranks countries on six key variables - income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.
The 2018 report focuses on migration within and between countries and was released on March 14, a week ahead of the World Happiness Day. It surveyed 156 countries for their happiness levels, and 117 countries to determine the happiness of immigrants.
In Asia, Israel finished first occupying the 11th spot, while United Arab Emirates came second at rank 20, followed by Qatar (32) and Saudi Arabia (33).
In Southeast Asia, Singapore was found to be the happiest nation at rank 34, followed by Malaysia (35) and Thailand (46).
China is lagging behind its Asian neighbours at 86 in the happiness quotient, while its fellow billion citizen peer, India is seemingly even more unhappy at rank 133.
Among other Asian nations, Mongolia was ranked at 94, Vietnam at 95, Indonesia, 96, Bhutan - which was once the happiest - at 97, Nepal at 101, Laos, 110, Bangladesh, 115, Sri Lanka, 116, Cambodia, 120 and Myanmar, 130.
Facebook user Banny Fei posted videos of the incident on his page on Thursday (March 15), saying that the incident happened at a frog porridge stall at Lorong 19 Geylang.
Banny shared the moment the fight broke out in a private video.
A commotion starts inside the eatery but moves out onto the road where a group of men start attacking a man wearing a white shirt.
He is knocked to the ground and then stomped on and kicked by some guys.
One man wearing a red and yellow singlet then knocks the man to the ground and stomps on him while another man comes and kicks him.
The man wearing the singlet then hits one of the women who comes to the side of the fallen man and then shoves another woman who is wearing black to the ground.
The scuffle continues and a passer-by is seen coming to the aid of the man lying on the ground.
He too gets attacked by a man wearing black who seems unhappy that he is helping the injured man.
Banny added two more videos that can be watched below.
SINGAPORE - Singaporean engineer Andy Goh has stopped saying hello to some neighbours in his condominium.
The mood in the 596-apartment Cashew Heights complex is "tense and stressed" after an initiative late last year to offer it for collective sale to a property developer, said Goh, 49.
A firm opponent of the deal, worth at least $1.88 billion, he feels outnumbered by owners who want to cash out. Recalling a meeting in his condominium last month, Goh, who worries the sale price won't allow him to buy a new home of comparable size, said his dissenting voice was drowned out by the other owners.
Singapore has seen a frenzy of so-called en-bloc deals over the last two years in the redevelopment market, a phenomenon that has made some Singaporeans millionaires, inspired hit television shows and turned neighbours into enemies.
David Wong, a member of Cashew Heights' pro-en bloc committee, said owners can sell their apartments for at least double the price in a collective sale compared with individually.
"I think the financial reason surpasses the sentimental reasons," he said, adding that those who did not want to sell have a vote. Under Singapore law, 80 per cent of the owners in an older development need to approve the sale before tender.
The drama of Singapore's property market has been captured in two television shows called "En Bloc." In one episode, an anti-en-bloc owner's property is vandalized, while a letter spreads rumours of bad feng shui in another episode.
More than a combined $8 billion worth of such deals were signed in 2017 - the highest in a decade amid a nascent recovery in the housing market.
Redevelopment is seen as key to optimizing land use in the city-state, home to 5.6 million people in about 700 square kilometers.
EN-BLOC FATIGUE
But the pace of redevelopment sales has started to show signs of slowing, with recent government measures helping dampen the euphoria, including an increase in stamp duty for home purchases of more than $1 million.
Traffic impact studies are now required to ensure redevelopment will not trigger congestion. The development levy for enhancing sites or building bigger projects on them was raised by an average of 22.8 per cent - the biggest increase in a decade.
"I think if you look, definitely the window is closing a bit," said Desmond Sim, research head for Singapore and Southeast Asia at real estate services firm CBRE.
He said recent collective sales had gone through at the minimum asking prices, developers sated after last year's buying spree and sellers' expectations sky-high.
"The exuberance of putting in high premiums has gone," he said.
The average premium above asking price has fallen to 2.9 per cent this year from 10 per cent in 2017, according to an analysis using data through late February by real estate services firm Cushman and Wakefield.
Aggressive land bids prompted the central bank in November to warn of "excessive exuberance" in the property market, urging developers to factor in new projects slated to open.
Derek Tan and Rachel Tan, equity research analysts at Singapore's largest lender, DBS, said last month there appeared to be "a bit of fatigue" in the en bloc market, citing recent deals' relatively low pricing.
"The fact that most of the sites have also been awarded at reserve price levels, rather than a premium, may indicate that developers are turning more choosy in adding to their land bank and becoming more cautious in their pricing strategy," they wrote.
$3.2 MILLION AND DOWNSIZING
Those transactions included the $728 million sale of the Pearl Bank Apartments, the tallest residential structure when it was completed in 1976, to CapitaLand through private negotiations after an unsuccessful public tender.
"The asking price from the owners in all these recent en blocs is getting higher and higher. There must be a tipping point," said Ronald Tay, chief executive at CapitaLand Singapore.
Developers may also be opting more for the government land sales (GLS) programme rather than en-bloc deals, which can take more than a year to close.
"I would say that we definitely have a slight preference at this stage toward GLS because the turnaround is faster," said Sherman Kwek, chief executive officer at City Developments, although he did not rule out more en bloc deals.
Cushman estimates that Singapore developers have about S$18.9 billion available for more near-term land acquisitions.
Analysts say developers have been building smaller apartments to keep prices palatable to buyers, even as land costs rise. Consultancy JLL estimates the median size of apartments sold directly by developers fell to 69 square meters in 2016 from 111 square meters in 2009.
Goh will receive $3.2 million for his three-bedroom apartment, where he lives with his wife and four children, if the sale of his development, built in the early '90s, goes ahead.
He has been trying band together with other owners who oppose the sale, and laments that no new condominium estates will match the space or open layout that he likes about his neighborhood.
"Even if it is 'en bloced' at $3.2 million, I couldn't get a unit that is equivalent in size," he said.
Too soon, too small - and the clothing he wore only emphasised this heartrending fact.
It's been some years, but Felicia Tan can still remember the clothes given to her by a nurse for her baby Dominic, who died minutes after being delivered early at 23 weeks.
It was the smallest size for a newborn, but even so, "the smallest size was still very big", said Felicia.
"But at least he had something to put on."
An estimated one in four to six pregnancies ends in a miscarriage.
And sometimes, parents whose babies are premature - like Felicia - have to bury their children in clothing too big for them.
To address this, a group of women formed Angel Gowns Singapore in 2016, painstaking repurposing donated wedding gowns and other bridalwear into tiny pieces of burial clothing, called angel gowns.
So far, Angel Gowns - now known as Angel Hearts - has given close to 1,000 gowns, wraps, bonnets and beanies to bereaved parents, sewn by dedicated volunteers.
Forbes released its 2018 list of billionaires last week, and while there haven’t been major shifts from the list that we compiled last year, the entrance of Razer founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan into the club was something that caught the attention of many.
With a net worth of US$1.1 billion (S$1.44 billion), Min-Liang Tan isn’t just the second youngest on the list at 40 (Kishin RK is 35) – he’s also the only one proudly helming the tech/gaming flag.
Globally, however, tech moguls lead the pack, with Amazon’s Jeff Bezos (US$112 billion) and Microsoft’s Bill Gates (US$90 billion) taking the top 2 spots.
Perhaps soon our list will reflect the same trends, and Min-Liang Tan might just become the pioneer of tech billionaires in Singapore.
Regardless, we found a few trends among those in the list, so let’s take a look at some of them.
Singapore's richest people, according to Forbes 2018 billionaires index
Out of the 28 individuals on the list (the Kwee family consists of 4 brothers), those who made their fortune in real estate were the most common.
More specifically, there were 13 of these individuals on the list.
Brothers Philip and Robert Ng topped the Singapore list at a net worth of US$10.8 billion, and are currently heading Far East Organization and Sino Group respectively.
Robert (L) and Philip (R) Ng.
Sino Group is one of the leading property companies in Hong Kong, while Far East Organization is one of the largest private property developers in Singapore with over 770 Far East developments to date, including 53,000 (or one in six) private homes in Singapore.
The Kwee family (US$5.6 billion), at 4th place, owns Pontiac Land which is known for the management of hotels like the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, The Capella, Regent Hotel, and also high-rise offices like Millenia Tower and Centennial Tower.
Going further down the list, Chua Thian Poh (US$1.4 billion) is the founder of luxury property developer Ho Bee Land, known for building high-end condominiums in Sentosa.
He is also a well-known philanthropist and notably donated over US$10 million toward college-level education since 2008.
At the official launch of Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre in NUS.
Another industry that stood out was hotels, with 4 in the list having made their fortunes there.
Power couple Ong Beng Seng and Christina Ong (US$2.1 billion) are both established hoteliers, heading Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) and the COMO Group respectively. Christina Ong is even nicknamed the ‘Queen of Bond Street’ because of the properties she owns on Bond Street in London.
Choo Chong Ngen, founder of budget hotel chain Hotel 81, actually made his fortune in textiles first before going into the hotel business.
He has since expanded into the mid-tier market with 5 new hotel brands, and is said to own more than 6,500 rooms in Singapore.
Doing a quick calculation for the Singapore list, the average age comes up around 66 years – not too far from the global average.
Kishin RK, one half of the father-son duo behind Royal Holdings and founder of RB Capital, is the youngest at 35; while Chang Yun Chung of shipping empire Pacific International Lines is the oldest at 99.
Kishin RK.Photo: High End Magazine
Almost a third of the list are currently in their 60s.
In an article on Business Insider which talks about the age that current billionaires hit their first billion, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg topped the list, joining the billionaire club at a tender age of 23 in 2008.
Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel followed suit in 2015, at 25.
Google co-founder Larry Page made his first billion at 30, and the OG of tech moguls, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, hit the goldmine at 31.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also joined the club in his 30s, at 35.
See any similarities? Yup, they all found their fortunes in tech.
Even on the Singapore list, second youngest Min-Liang Tan (40) struck gold with gaming peripherals, and a very successful IPO in November last year.
So if you want a higher chance at hitting your first billion early…you know what to do.
3. Many Self-Made ‘Founder’ Billionaires On The List
We also found that more than half of those on the list are self-made billionaires – that is, having made their fortunes from businesses they built from scratch.
However, it was in the midst of working odd jobs that he realised that he had a flair for sales. Thus, in 1980, he started R. Sim Trading Pte Ltd which sold household goods.
However, the business couldn’t survive the 1985 recession and had to close down.
Not wanting to give up, he noticed the emerging attention on healthcare, and opened Health Check & Care in 1989. In 1994, the company was renamed OSIM.
Currently, OSIM has a presence in 21 countries, 98 cities, and has 414 outlets worldwide.
Of course, this is not to say that those on the list who inherited their businesses were just lucky.
For example, Kwek Leng Beng (US$2.9 billion) joined his father’s company, Hong Leong Group, in the 1960s albeit being trained as a lawyer.
Since taking over, he played a vital role in helming the business, and the group now has more than 300 companies under its umbrella, including 12 listed ones.
Kwek Leng Beng.
Photo: The Times
He’s also the chairman at City Developments Limited (CDL), Singapore’s second-largest property developer with a global presence in 26 countries.
CDL is currently one of the world’s largest hotel groups, has developed over 40,000 homes in Singapore.
Chairman emeritus of United Overseas Bank (UOB) Wee Cho Yaw (US$6.6 billion) also took over the company his father co-founded, after spending years learning about the business from the older Wee.
Wee Cho Yaw.
Photo: Celebrity Family
Under his leadership, he steered UOB to foreign exchange and international trade financing, and grew the bank’s assets nearly nine-fold. He was also incremental in the bank’s expansion of its network and services.
UOB currently has 68 branches in Singapore and more than 500 offices in 19 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, Western Europe and North America.
4. Out Of The 28, Only 1 Is A Woman
In Singapore, the list only mentioned 1 female billionaire – ‘Queen of Bond Street’ Christina Ong.
Christina Ong.
Photo: Herblog.com
Globally, 2,208 billionaires were recorded, and the number of female billionaires stood at 256. That’s around 11.6%.
On a positive note, however, the figure was up from 227 in March 2017 and 187 in June 2015 – hopefully, the increasing trend would continue, and the same would happen in Singapore too!
Who Do You Think Will Make The List Next Year?
Now that you know about some traits that Singapore’s billionaires share, do you think there’ll be any interesting newcomers next year?
SINGAPORE - With sales stagnating and high rent and manpower costs eating away at his profits, Azan Tengku, the director of Singaporean gift company Kalms, decided to close down his stores and move all his products into vending machines.
Kalms, which has rolled out 50 machines island-wide that sell mostly teddy bears and jewelry, is one of a growing number of companies in the city-state adopting vending machines in a move encouraged by a government push for automation and tighter restrictions on low-skilled foreign workers.
The city-state is seeing some of the fastest growth rates in vending machines sales worldwide, even as there are signs of saturation in major markets like Japan, which at 5.5 million has the world's highest number of vending machines per capita.
"Rent is high in Singapore and good retail employees are hard to find," said Tengku.
"Singapore and Japan face the same challenges when it comes to employment and how both countries are densely populated and have space limitations."
Photo: Reuters
Since the launch of its first vending machine in late 2016, Kalms says it has recorded month-on-month growth of 15 per cent for 16 consecutive months.
The firm is now partnering with other companies to sell food, clothing and electronic products on its machines, which it says will allow it to roll out hundreds more across the island-state in the coming year.
Businesses that manufacture vending machines in Singapore, like Le Tach, are also profiting from the trend.
Le Tach's co-founder Steve Chia said the company has grown from manufacturing 50 vending machines in 2011 to over 1,000 to date, adding that the types of vending machines have also expanded from dispensing drinks and snacks to selling daily essentials and accessories.
GROWING FAST
Singapore recorded $67.2 million in vending machine sales in 2017, data from research firm Euromonitor International showed, a 3 per cent increase from the previous year, and sales are expected to exceed $72 million by 2020.
While the island-state of around 5.6 million people only just sneaks into the top 30 countries in terms of vending machine sales, it is one of the fastest growing markets behind Russia (12.3 per cent), China (11.5 per cent), Thailand (8.5 per cent) and the United Arab Emirates (3.3 per cent).
Meanwhile Euromonitor's data, collected through interviews with trade bodies and firms, shows major markets like Japan are in decline because of increased competition and price-sensitive customers.
In Singapore, the government has been encouraging firms across industries to adopt more manpower-lean formats, alongside moves to ease their reliance on low-skilled foreign workers and ensure more access to jobs for locals.
As well as a multi-million dollar National Robotics Programme, one such initiative has been targeted at trying to promote technology in the food service industry through grants and consultancy services.
With the help of this scheme, food caterer JR Group has grown from one vending machine to over 100 in the last decade, and now has unmanned 24-hour cafes selling hot local dishes as well as Western, Indian, Korean and Japanese cuisine all out of machines.
"We wanted to find solutions and new ways to help us efficiently push out our products, and at the same time, pass these savings down to our consumers," JR Group CEO Jocelyn Chng said.
Other unusual items that can be found on sale in Singapore vending machines are insect repellent, fresh flowers, health supplements and ceramic bowls and vases.
The trend toward robot sales may have its limits though.
Some of Kalms' competitors in the gift and souvenir industry say the model only really works for emergency purchases and do not cater to casual shoppers or the millions of tourists who flock to Singapore every year.
Susan Tay, director at educational toy firm The Better Toy Store, said her products require more explanation to customers and human interaction that is lost in the world of robot sales.
"Automated machines may be a boon for retailers who just want sales, but may be a bane for responsible retailers who need to match the product to (consumer) needs," said Tay.
