Table Water to be Made Free of Charge at Food and Beverage Establishments

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment considering that Singapore has potable water, whether table water can be mandatorily made free-of-charge at food and beverage establishments.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Water is precious to Singapore and to promote conservation and reduce wastage of water, our policy has not been to subsidise it. 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. They also incur cost in providing table water, such as cost of washing the glasses and containers and in serving the water. There is no basis for the Singapore Food Agency to mandate that F&B establishments serve tap water free-of-charge under the Environmental Public Health Act .