{
  "id": 156657,
  "title": "Jamie Oliver wants chewing gum ban – and it sticks with Singaporeans",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/jamie-oliver-wants-chewing-gum-ban-and-it-sticks-with-singaporeans",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-05T01:25:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3362986/jamie-oliver-wants-chewing-gum-ban-and-it-sticks-singaporeans"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent interview with English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, 51, has captured the attention of Singaporeans in an unexpected way. In the interview, aired on Saturday, Oliver expressed his desire to ban chewing gum if he could, stating, \"I wouldn’t ban a flavour combination, but I would ban chewing gum.\" The clip quickly gained traction, drawing comments that referred to Singapore's own ban on chewing gum. One commenter likened the ban to \"glorious,\" while another observed how the ban had improved cleanliness and overall enjoyment of public spaces. Singapore implemented the strict ban on chewing gum in 1992 after vandals gummed up the MRT train doors, causing disruptions. The restriction was eased in 2004 to permit the sale of therapeutic gums, but the core sentiment remains largely unchanged.",
  "summary": "A recent interview featuring English celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, 51, has struck a chord with Singaporeans, for the unlikeliest of reasons. On Saturday, British publication The Telegraph uploaded a clip of its interview with Oliver, where he declared that if he could ban one thing, it would be chewing gum. “I was walking up the street the other day and the whole street was ruined with a patchwork…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}