Opening Address by Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Health, at the Launch of the “Shop Healthy. Get More From Life” Campaign, 25 July 2015

Grassroot Leaders
Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1.            Good morning to all of you, and thank you for coming to the launch of the “Shop Healthy. Get More from Life” campaign.

2.            This campaign focuses on helping Singaporeans make healthier choices when preparing home-cooked meals and eating in. It is the third thrust of the Health Promotion Board’s wider Food Strategy which aims to improve the overall quality of Singaporeans’ diet and change the way we eat at home and eat out.

“Shop Healthy. Get More from Life”– Nudging Healthy Eating at Home

3.            Today’s campaign launch kick-starts an important focus on how well we are eating at home. With 68 per cent of Singaporeans having at least one meal a day at home, the decisions we make about what to cook and the ingredients to use, impact how healthy and nutritious our meals will be for ourselves and our families.  

4.            Paying attention to the kinds of products we are buying then becomes very important. I am therefore very pleased that our major supermarket chains - Cold Storage, Fairprice, Prime and Sheng Siong - as well as food manufacturers like Ayam Brand, Nestle and Prima Taste, have joined forces with HPB in this “Shop Healthy. Get More from Life” campaign to encourage Singaporeans to choose the healthy option when shopping.

5.            The supermarkets are natural partners in our efforts as we can leverage the shopping experience to nudge Singaporeans to make the right choices as they browsing the aisles and deciding which products to buy.

6.            Over the next 5 months, products with the Healthier Choice Symbol will be actively promoted in 235 supermarket outlets all over Singapore and shoppers can stand to win prizes for making these healthier purchases.

7.            At various decision points, shoppers will be reminded to make informed, healthier choices. Visual cues such as publicity posters, banners and promotional displays, will draw shoppers’ attention to products with the Healthier Choice Symbol. There will also be cooking demonstrations and food sampling to show how easy it is to cook healthy and tasty food. To make it even more attractive for Singaporeans to shop healthy, there will be lucky draws and instant wins to promote the purchase of heathier products.

8.            We hope to encourage more Singaporeans to make healthier products their preferred choice and, over time, their default choice, by increasing these products’ visibility and appeal.

Healthier Choice Products

9.            Shoppers will be able to recognise these healthier products by looking out for the red Healthier Choice Symbol. Products carrying this symbol generally contain lesser sodium, saturated fat and sugar. Some products are also higher in calcium, dietary fibre and whole-grains than others in similar food groups.

10.         Since the Healthier Choice Symbol was introduced, the number of products has grown with increasing acceptance and demand from consumers for healthier food products.  Currently, there are 2,500 Healthier Choice Symbol products in the market available to Singaporeans.  These cut across 70 food categories including rice, milk and dairy products, cooking oils, sauces, convenience meals, biscuits and drinks.

11.         Sales of Healthier Choice Symbol products have also grown. Since 2011, the sales of whole-grain products have risen on average at about 10 per cent each year and reduced sugar package drinks has increased 5 per cent on average annually. More Singaporeans are also choosing healthier oils when they cook at home. This shows that Singaporeans will buy healthier products if they are available, tasty, and easily accessible in local stores.

HPB’s Wider Food Strategy – Shaping Healthier Diets

12.         In June last year, I announced the HPB’s Food Strategy where the long term goal is for Singaporeans to make small changes in their diets and become used to healthier options, and eventually being accustomed to them as a natural choice.

13.         This is important as the National Nutrition Survey 2010[1] showed a worrying trend in the quality and quantity of Singaporeans’ diets. We were eating more saturated fat and not enough whole-grains. There was also been an increase in the proportion of Singaporeans who added sugar to their beverages contributing to an excess of about 10 per cent more calories[2] than they needed.

14.         To help counter this and improve the diet of Singaporeans, you would have seen the initiatives rolled out by the HPB under the Food Strategy, including the Healthier Dining Programme, a push for reduced or no sugar drinks and, of course, today’s launch to promote products with the Healthier Choice Symbol .

15.         The Healthier Dining Programme has seen the number of food and beverage partners grow from 18 to 38 over a year. Companies such as Dome, Orange Clove, Paradise Group and Pizza Hut have come on board to offer lower calorie meals and meals prepared using whole-grains or healthier oil.  Singaporeans now have access to healthier meals across more than 1,130 food and beverage outlets island-wide.

16.         The demand for healthier meals is also increasing. From 525,000 healthier meals sold in June last year, the number has increased to 950,000 in May this year. In total, the programme partners have sold over 9.4 million healthier meals.  On the basis that an average of 250 calories can be saved for each healthier meal consumed, the Singaporean population would have shaved off close to 2.4 billion calories in over a year. 

17.         HPB has also extended the Healthier Dining Programme to the food courts.  Working with Kopitiam, NTUC FoodFare and Koufu, Singaporeans can find wider choices of healthier food and drink options at 545 stalls across 39 food courts.    

Conclusion

18.         Eating healthily is a personal choice we can all make. By using each meal time as an opportunity to have a healthier food or drink, we are taking a small but significant step in improving our health, as we eat well and live well.

19.         When dining at home and preparing home-cooked meals, this choice extends to the decisions we make in our purchases. The next time you visit the supermarket, remember to go for the healthier choices. 

20.         I wish you all a good weekend ahead as you cook up a tasty and healthy meal for yourself, your family and your friends.

Thank you.

[1] National Nutrition Survey is conducted every six years. The next survey will be in 2016.

[2] Based on a daily caloric allowance of 2000kcal