Thai Govt to put cheap food stalls inside supermarkets

[webfact]

Govt to Put Cheap Food Stalls Inside Supermarkets
By Khaosod English


The Government will be installing "Blue Flag" food stalls selling cheap goods inside major supermarkets starting this June (Department of Internal Trade).

BANGKOK — The Department of Internal Trade has announced a plan to install food stalls selling inexpensive items inside major supermarkets across the country.

"The Blue Flag" stalls will open in branches of Big C and Lotus supermarket chains by early June, said Santichai Sarntawalpaet, deputy director of the Department of Internal Trade.

According to Mr. Santichai, the price of food sold by these "Blue Flag" stalls will be 20% cheaper than goods in the unsubsidized market.

Mr. Santichai said the program is meant to ease financial burdens during the economic slow-down, and to assist parents who are bound to face additional expenditures when school semesters start this June.

Mr. Santichai said the Department of Internal Trade will ask producers of commodity goods to freeze their prices in the next six months, while vendors who sell extraordinarily expensive goods will be punished. Citizens are urged to report any violators to the Department's hotline at 1569.

Despite the economic fallout caused by the ongoing political crisis, Thailand will not face a shortage of commodity goods, Mr. Santichai insisted.

"There is no need for consumers to stockpile any goods," he said.

Source: http://en.khaosod.co.th/detail.php?newsid=1399900024


-- Khaosod English 2014-05-13

[terryp]

while vendors who sell extraordinarily expensive goods will be punished AHHH the free market at work

how about the rip-off cost of Cars MANUFACTURED in thialand that cost More than double when bought in thailand than other countrys

Hard drives made in thailand more expensive than the same thai made hard drive bought in singapore

I could go on , but as long as MSG and Aspertaine loaded trash are kept low so the mass of thais can buy them all is good

Edited May 13, 2014 by terryp

[lee b]

Emm, well after seeing the state of some of these food stalls, I think i will be giving the blue flag a miss !

[chooka]

Don't all the supermarkets already sell these cooked meals, I know Tesco and Big C do in Chiangmai and have been doing so for years.

When I go to the supermarket it is not to buy take away food, it is to purchase fresh ingredients to cook my own.

Edited May 13, 2014 by chooka

[Songhua]

Exactly what people who go to supermarkets are looking for. Street food.

[MaxLee]

Exactly what people who go to supermarkets are looking for. Street food.

The Super markets will be running out of space and be overcrowded with peeps who have no choice than to go in...

[Nickymaster]

Go to the subsidized blue flag ones and let the others (who work according a market mechanism) suffer.

Mr. Santichai said the program is meant to ease financial burdens during the economic slow-down, and to assist parents who are bound to face additional expenditures when school semesters start this June.

How about selling them some subsidized rice before it is given to friendly foreign countries (below market price) or rotten?

[JoeThePoster]

Okay, how are they going to get the dog turd dust particles in to that food?

[chainarong]

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Don't all the supermarkets already sell these cooked meals, I know Tesco and Big C do in Chiangmai and have been doing so for years.

When I go to the supermarket it is not to buy take away food, it is to purchase fresh ingredients to cook my own.

Who runs the business, the government or the store owners , fancy having this told to you by some upstart failure , arrogance at it's extreme , the store owners or renters should tell the government to shove it where the sun don't shine. anyway in caretaker mode they have no authority to make any new legislation.

[jaidam]

The Shinawats, which rose to power through nepotism, intimidation, and monopolistic practises, are clearly having trouble with the idea of capitalism. It's a newfangled concept which relies on the basic principles of demand and supply to achieve a viable price point, as opposed to communism whereby the government sets the price point and allocates the distribution of product.

Prices are rising directly because of the hyper-inflationary populist policies. I warned them at the time. They should pay better attention to TVF.

[chotthee]

Another of of those from Kaosod.

Eyeballs rolling.

[Som wat]

A blockade from the vendors outside, stopping all shoppers from entering?

[Nickymaster]

The Shinawats, which rose to power through nepotism, intimidation, and monopolistic practises, are clearly having trouble with the idea of capitalism. It's a newfangled concept which relies on the basic principles of demand and supply to achieve a viable price point, as opposed to communism whereby the government sets the price point and allocates the distribution of product.

Prices are rising directly because of the hyper-inflationary populist policies. I warned them at the time. They should pay better attention to TVF.

Shin economics 101:

Make sure most people need your help in terms of subsidies and handouts to survive. Make them dependent on you.

[useronthenet]

Interesting to see that due to the government's policy of raising the ability to borrow, means that majority of Thais in particular are in debt. The government subsequently raised wages to 300 baht per day (under pressure from Thais who borrowed I suspect), which resulted in inflation rising at an unacceptable level. Doesn't take rocket science to work out that government policies have essentially tipped the balance. Inflation must be capped, and the ability to take on credit without adhering to the normal credit checks is costing the country an enormous amount. Potentially, if the government don't get a handle on this, and if the economy takes a further battering, then it could give way to yet another financial crisis similar to 1997.

[Patje]

Another bright idea, bring street-food inside !!!

[15Peter20]

Good to see the government can still carry out some business despite the current problems. Not completely crippled, then.

[RubbaJohnny]

Surely state intervention in markets while usually disruptive is soCIALISM and illegal here.

Howver the Thai competences level of economic management and understanding is special.

I'll go with the swim when the blue flags flying,I wonder how the new tax which must pay for this subsidy can be passed by a caretaker government .As I understood no new commitments are legal or is this a pet scheme to drive traffic to some Malls stores not others,I see Big C mentioned but not Lotus 7/11 CP family mart Lotus tesco etc?

Does Thai government no longer wants free markets ?

It of course, like most states, meddles everywhere fuel subsidy,import duty on cars , currency manipulation attempts etc.

The advantage of Chinese model you can ignore the electorate sadly at the expense of the environment but seems democracy wont work when a large minority wont pay to subsidize a poor and growing but still noticeably poorer workforce.

In Victorian industrial revolution it was a slow struggle for bootblacks and butlers to get the vote let alone Catholics jews and women,France had the sudden jolt.

Edited May 13, 2014 by RubbaJohnny

[buhi]

I and my family ate in a food hall yesterday. The food was excellent and each dish about 50 baht. A clean modern eatery, tables cleaned and air conditioning.

The place was packed. Who wants to eat outside with the temperature at 37 degrees!

I also bought ingredients for home cooking for the next few days, not too expensive, but certainly prices have risen and are rising. Now you do need to check the price of each item and decide which ingredients to buy.

The local fresh market is often cheaper, but not always.

To put subsidized government food stalls up against vendors who know they need to provide cheap quality food, or go bust is unfair.

I can see what will happen; any one for a custard pie fight?

Edited May 13, 2014 by buhi

[ratcatcher]

This should go down well with the established food stalls already located in supermarkets and paying rent.

Another desperate idea from an even more desperate caretaker government.

[Melyn]

They could kill 2 birds with one stone and have Chalerm cooking sausages and Surapong slopping out noodles

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Bakseeda]

Go to the subsidized blue flag ones and let the others (who work according a market mechanism) suffer.

Mr. Santichai said the program is meant to ease financial burdens during the economic slow-down, and to assist parents who are bound to face additional expenditures when school semesters start this June.

How about selling them some subsidized rice before it is given to friendly foreign countries (below market price) or rotten?

Ordinary people will not get to the food unless they climb over the Russians...

[RubbaJohnny]

On reflection the solution is to have unmanned poor service with prices double free market to drive traffic back to

UNSUBSIDIZED FOOD

Much of US farm and EU budget encourages wasteful production or over production to maintain a rural lifestyle on marginal land.If we want to pay custodians of the land or environment fine but once one player boost its products it knocks on to all others

Free trade will be a threat to unsustainable producers in fragile small scale units so need planning sensitive transition but in a global food economy we need rational planning and while the market can have disstortions suubsidies are always open to corruption,waste etc.

If poor people need income support jobs there are other delivery methods via

Welfare system

Pensions

Re-location

Better salaries

Access to hygenic storage be it a barn,solar fridge ,community food banks

Some of these require more capital investment than one family so co-ops etc

Of course the corrupt have a vested interest in money sloshng about

[manfrommanteo]

Blue flag my ass....it's a Red Flag Marxist concept....

[Songhua]

Next initiative: 199baht handbag stalls inside Gucci stores.

[MaxLee]

Blue flag my ass....it's a Red Flag Marxist concept....

Yep, buffalo plan without any research or feasibility studies or REAL consumer behavior insights, ignoring affected parties like a pest, regardless their opinions

[Sattahip2014]

Another populist program from PTP that will go the same way as their Rice Pledging and First Time Car Tax Rebate scams.

i.e. another corruption scandal and rort for the PTP team

[Jingthing]

Brings back fond memories of my misspent youth!

Government cheese?

Yummy!

[siampolee]

What about a reduction in ''tea money'' paid to officials to ensure smooth transition of ones imported goods in clearing customs and exported goods clearing the loading gangs and officialdom.

A reduction in fee's paid to the police for traffic misdemeanors real or imagined and of course in the long term future a 99% cut in the commissions that politicians and state official expect on all projects they control or handle too ?

[chotthee]

Why go buy cheap food when you can eat and drink for free - AT ALL PROTEST SITES.

[marko kok prong]

Great idea,just what Thailand needs,more foodstalls!