The day is finally here. No longer will we be oppressed by an official law that forbids us all from purchasing rum raisin ice cream in the middle of the night. What a time to be alive and sugar-laden.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed that food products with alcoholic content are no longer considered weapons of mass destruction. Starting today, liquor-infused ice cream, baked goods, desserts, and other nosh can be sold and consumed after 10.30pm in public places. Consumers are unlikely to abuse them, MHA noted in a statement.
This is true by the way, and we can verify that none of us have gone on a drunken rampage after downing a tub or two of Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin. We did feel ashamed of ourselves though.
Alcoholic beverages, of course, are still off the menu, thanks to the Liquor Control Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act (LCA). Enacted four years ago in response to the Little India Riot of 2013, LCA prohibits the sale of liquor at retail outlets such as supermarkets and convenience stores from 10:30pm to 7am every day. Between those hours, folks can’t consume alcohol in public places, except within licensed premises such as bars and restaurants.
According to the Act, products containing more than 0.5 percent alcohol would be defined as liquor. But the rules seemed pretty ridiculous when people started posting photos of signs that said you can’t buy ice cream with some alcohol in it as if it was as dangerous as a bottle of vodka.
Following feedback from the public and industry stakeholders that certain alcohol-infused products don’t actually need to be regulated, MHA decided to tweak the LCA a little.
“In consultation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, except for beverages which will continue to be regulated given the significantly higher risk of abuse, MHA will be exempting all other food products from the licensing requirements of the LCA,” the statement said.
The authorities will continue to monitor the situation on the ground, and periodically review and update the legislation as required.
