Premium brand rice may cost twice as much but it does not necessarily taste twice as good, a LifeStyle blind taste test has shown.
Sure, the testers could tell by the fragrance and taste that rice from Royal Umbrella ($20.80 for 10kg) and Golden Phoenix ($20.30 for 10kg) are premium grains.
But basic brands such as FairPrice's jasmine fragrant rice from Vietnam ($5.75 for 5 kg) and Sheng Siong's house brand Happy Family ($5.20 for 5kg) rivalled the premium brands in smell and texture.
What's more, the testers found that some premium grades of rice such as Double FP ($17.90 for 10kg) were 'hard' and 'not fragrant'.
Food consultant Violent Oon, 58, who cooked the rice and was one of the three testers, was not surprised by the results.
 Three foodies - (from left) housewife Florence Lee, ST food critic Wong Ah Yoke and food consultant Violet Oon tasted 12 rice brands sold at supermarkets. They ate the steamed rice plain. |
The other testers were Straits Times food critic Wong Ah Yoke and housewife Florence Lee.
The panel was asked to taste 12 brands of fragrant white rice and to identify which brand was premium or basic based on aroma, taste and appearance.
Rice prices for premium and basic brands have gone up by up to 14 per cent in recent weeks, caused by a surge in global demand for grain, poor harvests and increasing cost of production.
The price rise has led to Singaporeans rushing to buy rice in anticipation of further increases. And price increase or not, Singaporeans do not seem to mind paying a premium for what they regard as superior rice.
But as the taste test found out, consumers could be paying more than they needed to for the basic staple.
Close to 60 per cent of Singapore's total rice imports come from Thailand, with hom mali being the dominant variety. This long-grain rice is said to have a distinct jasmine scent.
A spokesman for Sheng Siong said premium and basic brands make up equal parts of its rice sales and this has not changed despite the rising cost of rice.
Similarly, Mr Tng Ah Yiam, director of integrated buying for FairPrice said that sales of both basic and premium brands grew by 30 per cent each early this month, a result of panic buying over fears of a rice shortage.
Ms Evonne Sng, 36, knows that she would save more than 40 per cent if she switches from Royal Umbrella to a basic brand.
But the finance senior manager would not do it.
She said: 'While the taste of rice would not affect my enjoyment of a meal greatly, I don't want to stint on my kids who prefer this brand as its rice is softer and fluffier than the rest that we've tried.'
Other consumers such as communications executive Geneveive Tan, 31, said they continue buying premium rice out of habit.
She added: 'To me, rice is just rice and I don't mind changing to a cheaper brand, but I've been eating it since young so I feel a certain sense of brand loyalty.
'Besides, a 5kg bag of rice lasts my family of three a month, so we don't feel the pinch as much.'
Even Madam Lee, 53, one of the three LifeStyle testers, said she would still stick to Royal Umbrella.
'My husband is very particular about the taste and texture of rice and he likes the brand, so he doesn't mind paying more.'
Mr Thian Boon Hua, 54, general manager of chicken rice shop Boon Tong Kee, is also adamant about serving his customers premium white rice from Golden Phoenix.
He said: 'We cannot short-change our customers. We'll maintain our prices for as long as we can, and when we can't hold out any longer, we'd rather raise the price than switch to a cheaper alternative.'
One plate of chicken rice at Boon Tong Kee costs $5.40.
That said, there are also consumers who have made the switch.
Madam Ivy Pang, 33, used to buy premium brands of rice when they were on offer. With the recent rice price hike however, the customer relations officer has been buying cheaper brands to save on her grocery bill.
FairPrice said its housebrand jasmine rice from Vietnam, which is 20 per cent cheaper than a similar grade of rice from Thailand, has seen a two-fold increase in sales since its introduction in October last year.
Others who have made the switch to cheaper alternatives include noodle manufacturer Chye Choon Foods, which also imports and distributes rice.
Its managing director Jimmy Soh, 38, said the company has been importing rice from Myanmar, which is almost US$200 (S$272) cheaper per tonne than rice from Thailand, to be used as an ingredient in its rice vermicelli.
He was quick to add however that the Myanmar rice is only good for noodle-making and not for consumption as table rice.
Asked whether the switch to a cheaper alternative has affected the taste of his noodles, he replied: 'It may be cheaper but the quality is not compromised.'
Which rice is nice?
Three foodies, housewife Florence Lee, ST food critic Wong Ah Yoke and food consultant Violet Oon tasted 12 rice brands sold at supermarkets. They ate the steamed rice plain. |  SONGHE Country: Thailand Price: $19.70 for 10kg Verdict: Though chewy, it lacks flavour and a distinctive fragrance. It is also a little clumpy. | |  ROYAL GOLDEN GRAIN Country: Thailand Price: $8.80 for 5kg Verdict: Soft and chewy but the rice is not aromatic. The grains do not clump together. | |  DOUBLE FP Country: Thailand Price: $17.90 for 10kg Verdict: The rice grains do not stick together but it is hard and not fragrant. | |  FAIRPRICE FRAGRANT Country: Thailand Price: $5.30 for 5kg Verdict: The rice is not fragrant and a little hard. The rice grains look ordinary. | |
|  GOLDEN PHOENIX Country: Thailand Price: $10.50 for 5kg Verdict: Soft and fragrant with a pleasant flavour. The rice grains look ordinary. | |  NEW MOON Country: Thailand Price: $10.20 for 5kg Verdict: Fragrant, fluffy and soft. The rice grains do not clump together. | |  GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Country: Thailand Price: $8.55 for 5kg Verdict: The rice grains are well formed but the rice is hard and not fragrant. | |  FAIRPRICE GOLD Country: Thailand Price: $19.90 for 10kg Verdict: The rice is soft and the grains do not clump together but it does not have a distinctive taste. | |
|  FAIRPRICE JASMINE FRAGRANT Country: Vietnam Price: $5.75 for 5kg Verdict: The rice looks fluffy and tastes soft. It also has a pleasant smell. | |  HAPPY FAMILY Country: Thailand Price: $5.20 for 5kg Verdict: Soft and chewy. The rice has a mild scent, but some of the grains are broken. | |  ROYAL UMBRELLA Country: Thailand Price: $10.80 for 5kg Verdict: Soft, chewy and fluffy in appearance, this rice has the strongest fragrance of all the brands tested. | |  HARVEST KING Country: Thailand Price: $9.50 for 5kg Verdict: It has a mild scent and is chewy, but some of the grains are broken. | |
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| LifeStyle asked four famous chicken rice sellers what brand of rice they use. CHATTERBOX IN MERITUS MANDARIN   Brand: Golden Phoenix, ThailandAmount of rice used per day: Between 75 and 120kg Price of chicken rice: $21.50 on weekdays and $23.50 on weekends. 'We do not plan to switch to a cheaper brand despite the rising price of rice because this brand has a notable fragrance and its quality is consistent.' Ms Lim Ee Jin, director of marketing communications for Meritus Mandarin WEE NAM KEE HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE RESTAURANT Brand: Declines to name, but says it is top-grade fragrant white rice from Thailand Amount of rice used per day: About 90kg Price of chicken rice: $3.50 to $4, depending on the amount of chicken. 'We have been using this premium brand of rice for 20 years and our customers have grown used to its taste, so we have no plans to switch to a different brand.' Mr Wee Toon Ouut, 70, owner BOON TONG KEE Brand: Golden Phoenix, Thailand Amount of rice used per day: Around 300 to 350kg for all its six eateries Price of chicken rice: $5 for a single portion of chicken and 40 cents for a bowl of rice. 'We have experimented with other brands of rice but none yielded results that were as good. Even when the rice turns cold, it is still soft and fluffy.' Mr Thian Boon Hua, 54, general manager of Boon Tong Kee TIAN TIAN HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE  Brand: Golden Phoenix, Thailand Amount of rice used per day: More than 50kg Price of chicken rice: Raised by 30 cents this month to $2.80 and $3.30. 'We are not switching to a cheaper brand because the customers and the cooks are accustomed to this brand. To cope with the rising cost of rice, we have had to raise our prices.' Mr Chua Hoon Hong, 35, operations manager Grain checkBest-selling rice brands*- Royal Umbrella, Thailand - Songhe, Thailand - Golden Phoenix, Thailand - Double FP, Thailand - Royal Golden Grain, Thailand *Not ranked Source: NTUC FairPrice and Sheng Siong Top five rice-exporting countries to Singapore Thailand: 181,418 tonnes Vietnam: 65,403 tonnes India: 36,966 tonnes Pakistan: 7,960 tonnes United States: 5,434 tonnes (Figures are for last year) FairPrice Supermarket Price list-
Do you want to see link- http://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/SG/rice.html 5% broken - 100% broken Myanmar white riceMin. Order: 20 Tons FOB Price: US $270-355 / Ton Payment Terms: L/C,T/T,Western Union Supply Ability: 10000 Ton/Tons per Month Category: Food & Beverage | Other Food & Beverage RelatedKeywords: White Rice 5 Broken 100 OfflineContact SupplierLee & Lim InternationalContact Details Singapore Business Type: Manufacturer, Trading Company No of Employees: 51 - 100 People  Long Grain White Rice from Vietnam & MyanmarMin. Order: 25 Metric Tons FOB Price: US $380-400 / Metric Ton Payment Terms: L/C Supply Ability: 10,000 Metric Ton/Metric Tons per Month Category: Food & Beverage | Other Food & Beverage RelatedKeywords: White Rice OfflineContact SupplierSanfloContact Details Singapore Business Type: Manufacturer, Distributor/Wholesaler No of Employees: 11 - 50 People Selling Vietnam, Thailand and Mynamar RiceMin. Order: 500 Metric Tons FOB Price: US $505 / Metric Ton Payment Terms: L/C Supply Ability: 100,000 Metric Ton/Metric Tons per Month Category: Food & Beverage | Other Food & Beverage RelatedKeywords: Rice OfflineContact SupplierGemstec Pte LtdContact Details Singapore Business Type: Agent, Distributor/Wholesaler No of Employees: 5 - 10 People | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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