Months after Singapore lifted its pig blood ban, hawkers and supermarkets still can't keep up with demand

With one abattoir in Thailand still the sole approved source, hawkers and supermarkets say they are receiving fewer cartons than they order.

SINGAPORE: Two months after pig blood curd returned to Singapore's food scene, demand continues to outstrip supply, with businesses saying they are still struggling to secure enough stock even as the initial rush has eased.

"Every day I've got at least 20 people asking, and I think half of them are new customers. They purposely come from far away to look for pig blood," said one hawker at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, where at least three stalls have added pig's blood to the menu.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) announced on Apr 1 that it had approved the import of heat-treated pig blood products from Bangkhla Pig Slaughterhouse in Thailand, ending a 27-year ban.

While other companies have expressed interest, none have submitted formal applications for approval, the agency said.

Food manufacturer CP Foods, the exclusive importer of the product into Singapore, brought in the first shipment on May 28 for distribution to retail partners. Since then, demand has remained consistently high and "continues to outpace available supply", a spokesperson said.

The company has scaled up weekly imports from 6,000 packets in its first shipment to as much as 20,000 packets now, but is not looking to source from other slaughterhouses despite the demand.

It pointed to production capacity and safety and hygiene standards as constraints to scaling up supply.

"As raw pig blood can only be collected during the slaughtering process, overall production volume is directly tied to the daily throughput of the slaughterhouse," the spokesperson said, adding that every batch must pass mandatory testing before export.

Supply is also shared between the Thai and Singapore markets.

SELLING OUT IN SUPERMARKETS

Cold Storage and Giant, which are operated by the same company, began stocking pig blood curd in June and said initial batches sold out shortly after arriving.

"While the rate varies by store, we continue to see a near 100 per cent sell-through of available stock," a spokesperson said, adding that supply remains insufficient to meet demand.

The product is sold only at selected outlets and is not available on either chain's online grocery platform. A spokesperson said that given limited supply, the priority is making stock accessible to customers shopping in physical stores.

Sheng Siong, which began selling the product on Jun 3, cited the same reason for keeping it off its online store. Stock typically sells out within two days.

"We generally restock every fortnight and are working closely with our supplier to improve availability," a spokesperson said.

At FairPrice, where each packet retails for S$6.15, demand has remained strong, particularly among customers aged 50 to 70, a spokesperson said. Though the product is available islandwide, it continues to sell out on the day of replenishment at several stores.

HAWKERS EMBRACE THE COMEBACK

Mr Melvin Chew, a second-generation hawker who runs Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck and Kway Chap, said around 20 customers ask for pig blood curd every day, with many travelling from across Singapore to try it. He serves it with kway chap.

Blood was traditionally an important ingredient in dishes such as kway chap, pig organ soup and pig organ porridge before the ban, said Mr Chew, who described himself as a pig blood enthusiast.

"Especially the older generation, they will feel that when they don't have pig blood, it seems like they miss out a very important element in the ingredients. That's why I want to bring the traditional, authentic, old-school taste back to the people," Mr Chew said, adding that he is a pig blood enthusiast himself.

When fresh shipments arrive, Mr Chew typically orders five cartons but usually receives only three or four due to limited supply and stringent quality checks, with shipments arriving unpredictably.

At Hougang coffee shop stall Imperial Broth Noodles, which opened on Jun 12 with pig blood curd already on the menu, an assistant said the stall can sell more than 12 packets of pig blood curd over a weekend.

"There is one man who eats all three meals with pig blood," the stall assistant, who wanted to be known only as Vince, said in Mandarin.

Mr Dominic Neo, owner of Liang Ji at Chinatown Complex Food Centre, has taken a different approach, incorporating pig blood curd into char kway teow – including a version with cockles.

He believes he is the first hawker in Singapore to do so. "Why not I do something extraordinary, be the first person to create pig blood in char kway teow?" he said, adding that he felt the ingredient paired naturally with cockles, a common char kway teow ingredient.

The dishes sold "like hotcakes" when introduced, with orders streaming in whenever he announced availability on social media, Mr Neo said. He can sell up to 12 packets a day, but shortages sometimes leave customers waiting a week or more for stock to return.

At hot pot restaurant Tong Xin Ru Yi in Lorong Telok, owner Oscar Zhang said demand for pig blood had always been present among customers.

"Many of our customers had been asking about it over the years, so once it returned to the market, we wanted to bring it back as quickly as possible," he said.

The restaurant now serves pig blood curd in its hot pot offerings and in dishes such as mala pig blood and ginger and spring onion pig blood. It sold about 30 portions a day when the ingredient first returned and continues to sell about the same number.

Mr Zhang said supply remains inconsistent this soon after the product's return, and the restaurant replenishes inventory according to availability rather than stockpiling, waiting for the next delivery once stock runs out.

Hot pot chain Haidilao introduced pig blood curd as a hotpot ingredient on May 28, a spokesperson told CNA.

Supply has kept pace with demand so far, and the company said it will continue to monitor both demand and inventory levels.

"Pig blood curd is a familiar ingredient for many local diners, particularly Gen X and Gen Y customers, who may remember it being used in dishes such as stir-fries, soups and hotpot," the spokesperson said. "Its return has therefore evoked a sense of nostalgia among diners who grew up with the ingredient."

CUSTOMERS TRAVEL FOR A TASTE

When CNA visited Liang Ji last Thursday (Jul 30), Mr Neo was fast going through his remaining stock of two boxes.

Customers began queuing about half an hour before the stall opened at 11am, and by 11.20am he had already used nearly five packets. A friend helped him buy another 14 packets from a FairPrice supermarket and delivered them before noon.

Mr Vince Liau, 47, who works in customer service in the engineering industry, was enjoying a plate from Liang Ji when CNA spoke to him.

A longtime fan of pig blood, he said he was excited when he heard the ingredient had returned. "I couldn't wait to teleport myself here to have it when I saw it on the news," he said, adding that he loved the idea of pairing it with char kway teow.

"I'm a big follower of Liang Ji on Facebook, so when I saw that he has this very unique creation, I jumped at the chance to come here immediately."

He said the taste brought back childhood memories of family meals.

Ms Emily Ang, 42, who works in a fast food chain, arrived early at the stall after learning fresh stock was available, having previously found through a friend that it had sold out.

It was her first time eating pig blood curd in 13 years, after trying it overseas.

"I miss the taste," she said. "So I came down early. I worry with maybe more people. Then there is no more pig blood."