Food Services Industry Digital Plan First Among Singapore's 20 Refreshed Industry Digital Plans

Singapore's 20 Industry Digital Plans (IDP) will be progressively refreshed, with the Food Services Sector being the first to benefit from the refreshed model. The refreshed Food Services IDP was launched On November 21, 2022, by Mr. Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, at Heavenly Wang @ Changi Airport Terminal 2 Arrival Hall. Ms. Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, was also present.

Aligned to the Food Services Industry Transformation Map (ITM), the IDP is jointly developed by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) and IMDA in partnership with the industry. The IDPs covering 20 sectors provide SMEs with a step-by-step guide to identify suitable digital solutions and corresponding training programmes to equip employees with the right skill sets at each stage of their digitalisation journeys. These together have contributed to the uplifting of more than 85,000 businesses.

IDPs to Be Progressively Refreshed To Ensure Relevance

These sector-specific IDPs are now being progressively refreshed to introduce a greater breadth and depth of solutions. This will ensure that the IDPs remain relevant to the evolving needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and deepen their digital capabilities.

Refreshed Food Services Industry Digital Plan

The Food Services industry continues to play a vital role in Singapore's economy, contributing S$4 billion to Singapore's economy and employing about 220,300 workers in 2021. The refreshed Food Services IDP is aligned to the Food Services Industry Transformation Map 2025, rolled out in May this year, which includes grooming digital champions and strengthening the competencies of enterprises.

Jointly developed by EnterpriseSG and IMDA, the refreshed Food Service IDP will assist Food Services SMEs to overcome challenges, namely a tight labour market and increasing labour costs. It will also help address trends observed in the Food Services sector, such as the shift in consumer behaviour towards digital ordering, e-commerce and food delivery.

Speaking at the launch of the Food Services IDP, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Tan Kiat How said, “It's a misperception that only big companies need to think about cybersecurity and personal data protection. However, we understand that SMEs may find it difficult to understand the landscape, threats, choose the right solutions, and implement those solutions in (their) organisations.

Noting the "pressing" labour crunch that the food services sector is currently facing, Tan said: "Using technology solves many of the pain points and frees up our employees, especially the older ones, to focus on key tasks and customers," he said. For instance, Heavenly Wang at Changi Airport Terminal 2 has installed service robots to deliver ingredients from its central kitchen to its service counters.

The Refreshed Food Services IDP aims to deepen digital capabilities and ensure relevance in a post-COVID-19 world. It will include: 

> Refreshed solution suite offered under the Digital Solutions  

> Integrated and advanced solutions to improve digital connectivity and deepen SMEs' digital capabilities 

> A roadmap on Cybersecurity and Data Protection measures 

> Introduction of a roadmap on Cybersecurity and Data Protection measures,  

> Expansion and updating the corresponding Digital Training Roadmap to align with the refreshed solutions under the Digital Roadmap and cover Change Management. 

Four New Solution Categories Added to Refreshed Food Industry IDP

Four new solution categories unique to the Food Services sector are added in the refreshed Food Services IDP to support Food Services SMEs in tapping more advanced solutions to further their digitalisation journey. They are:

> Connected business suite

> Service robotics

> Food waste management

> Smart central kitchen management system

Who Is It For?

Local companies in the following sub-sectors within the Food Services industry:

> Restaurants

> Food courts, coffee shops, canteens

> Cafes

> Food caterers

> Others, such as food kiosks, pubs, and fast food (excludes hawkers)

Benefits

The refreshed IDP provide companies with a step-by-step guide to identify suitable digital solutions and training programmes to equip employees with the right skillsets at each stage of their digitalisation journey.

Secondly, the new roadmap on Cybersecurity and Data Protection measures will help companies identify appropriate tools and practices they can adopt at different stages of their digital growth to safeguard their systems and operations from cyberattacks and protect their customers' personal data. 

Thirdly, under the updated IDPs, digital solutions will be refreshed to ensure that foundational sector-specific solutions for SMEs will remain relevant and impactful, IMDA said. For example, generic solutions for the management of documentation processes and human resources and payroll-related matters will be expanded to include more easy-to-deploy digital solutions for new SMEs.

The updated IDPs will offer more integrated and advanced solutions to allow enterprises to connect with others more easily across value chains and to facilitate the use of data analytics to guide business decisions. It will also propel the use of curated advanced sector-specific solutions, such as smart central kitchen management systems for the food services sector, to start with.