The Newton Food Centre was established at Newton Circus in the early 1970s. The hawker centre became a popular food destination when 32 of the push-cart hawkers from the famous Glutton’s Square (an open-air street dining area located along Orchard Road) shifted there in 1978 to make way for the Square’s redevelopment. A variety of Chinese, Indian and Malay hawker fare is sold at the hawker centre. Stalls selling grilled seafood in particular are especially numerous as they target the high-spending tourists from countries such as Japan and Europe who visit the food centre. The Newton Food Centre was closed down in 2005 for renovation works and re-opened in July 2006.Hawker centres are food complexes consisting of stalls selling mostly local food. The first hawker centres were established in the 1960s as part of government efforts to clear the streets and public spaces of itinerant hawkers whose hygiene standards were not properly regulated. Stallholders in hawker centres are subjected to regular checks by public health officials to ensure that good standards of hygiene and cleanliness are maintained. Hawker centres, which are found in most housing estates, have become the place where many Singaporeans go to get their daily fix of affordable local delicacies.
