Here's where to grocery shop in Singapore if you have food allergies

Tucked away in a shophouse within Bukit Timah is a boutique grocer and butchery that has been a culinary haven to those with special dietary needs since 2015. Ryan’s Grocery was founded by Sebastian and Wendy Chia, who had to make frequent trips to Western Australia to suss out allergen-free products for their son, Ryan, after they learnt that he has intolerances to dairy, gluten, nuts, soya, eggs and yeast.

Having built relationships with purveyors at local farmers’ markets and small-batch specialist producers along the way, the couple later decided to import their products and set up a retail store at 29 Binjai Park. The shop is stocked with allergen- and preservative-free food products, and is fitted with an organic butchery that offers hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, providing a wide range of options to customers.

ALLERGEN-FREE GROCER

From flour to pastas, snacks, condiments and sauces, you’d find a lot of gluten-free options. The well-curated inventory includes gluten-free finds like corn bread mix, falafel mix and tempura batter.

If you’re looking for flour, wheat alternatives come in the form of milled chickpea, brown rice, coconut, buckwheat, teff, sorghum, arrowroot, and more. There are also plenty of options for those with wheat, dairy, sugar, soya, egg and yeast intolerances. Ryan’s Grocery also carries organic-certified products. Besides soups, stocks, sauces, teas, soda and grains, it has a fresh produce section with organic fruit and vegetables, such as amaranth, avocado, kale and salad sprouts.

ORGANIC BUTCHER

The full-service butchery offers a comprehensive range of meats, including exclusive imports like the organic grass-fed Blackwood Valley Beef from Western Australia. It also carries free-range Borrowdale pork, organic beef and lamb from Thomas Farms. If you need help, a certified master butcher is at hand to offer recommendations.

“By personally visiting producers and farmers, and understanding their production and farming processes, we can ensure that their practices are aligned with Ryan’s Grocery’s support for ethical farming and humane animal treatment,” Wendy explains. “In addition, we order our cattle whole, allowing us to pick the best, and check on the animals prior to sending them to the abattoir.”