Refreshed gov’t digital plans to prioritise food service sector

There will be an enhanced 20 industry digital plans.

The government announced that it will offer a refreshed 20 industry digital plans (IDP) to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as their digital needs evolve.

In a joint statement, the IMDA and EnterpriseSingapore said the food services sector will be the first to be uplifted by the strengthened IDP.

So far, 20 IDPs have backed more than 85,000 businesses to benefit from the SMEs Go Digital programme.

Amongst the solutions offered are generic solutions from targeting areas from management of documentation processes, resources and finances to human resources, and payroll-related matters.

There will also be integrated and advanced solutions to improve digital connectivity and deepen SMEs’ digital capabilities.

“To encourage SMEs to leverage emerging technologies for their business needs and seize new opportunities, curated advanced sector-specific solutions will be progressively introduced, such as smart central kitchen management systems for the food services sector,” read the statement.

A roadmap on cybersecurity and data protection measures will also be offered as well as an updated digital training roadmap that covers change management.

Food service 

The government decided to first help out the food service sector using the IDP to serve digital trends in the industry such as consumer spending shift, e-commerce and food delivery. The new IDPs will also resolve the tight labour market and rising labour costs in the sector.

Advanced digitisation in the sectors include connected business suite, service robotics, food waste management, and smart  central kitchen management system.