Speech by Parliamentary Secretary (Health), Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, at the Republic Polytechnic iChef for Health Charity Event 2012

Principal/CEO of Republic Polytechnic, Mr Yeo Li Pheow,
My beloved Senior Citizens, Industry Guests, Teachers, Students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A very good morning to one and all.

1. I am pleased to be here to join you at the iChef for Health 2012 charity event. iChef is an annual event hosted by Republic Polytechnic which aims to allow secondary school students to have a flavour of polytechnic education, in particular the School of Hospitality programmes. The enthusiasm shown by everyone, from the student organisers, the junior chefs, teachers and guests from the aged care homes for iChef for Health is heartening. This festive mood is indeed contagious.

Our Ageing Population

2. When youths are asked what comes to their minds when they think of the elderly, they would likely tell you ‘generation gap’, or they may not understand the lives of the elderly. This is cause for concern as we know that Singapore faces a rapidly ageing population. Currently, 350,000 citizens or 7.3 per cent of the population, are aged 65 and above, and this figure is projected to almost double by 2020¹. A silver tsunami looms over Singapore. These two generations are largely disconnected, possibly as a result of language barriers, differences in embracing technology, and the lack of regular quality face-to-face interaction.

3. And it is indeed that such an opportunity is very important because as a boy when I was young, I interacted very much with my grandparents. With the interaction with them, I learnt healthy tips from them, like eating vegetables, and as well as learn the value of love, care and compassion that they showed me as a grandchild. And with such platforms like these, you will learn the love, compassion and the care through the interaction with seniors, will be beyond the kind of food that you prepare. And the elements of these values will be in the food you prepare. So in a way, this will bring you a long way in your life.

iChef for Health

4. To this end, events such as this iChef for Health lunch provide the platform for interactions, communications and better understanding between youths and the elderly. This is a worthy cause, and it is also apt that food is used as a medium to connect the generations, as we all know Singaporeans are passionate about food.

5. The whole project was conceptualised, planned and executed by students of the Republic Polytechnic School of Hospitality and supported by students from the School of Sports, Health and Leisure, with the help of students from secondary schools who took part in Republic Polytechnic’s iChef culinary competitions in 2011 and 2012.

6. More than 100 students were involved in today’s project. It is heartening to learn that these students spent part of their holiday not just planning, but also visiting the sheltered homes to better understand the needs of the elderly in preparation for this event. For example, from their visits, they found that the elderly preferred to have fish and meat for their meals, and coffee as a drink. All this information was taken into consideration in the planning of iChef. Some students also went the extra mile to learn some basic phrases in Chinese dialects so as to be better able to communicate with the residents.

7. Such youth-elderly integration projects foster greater awareness and understanding of the behaviour and needs of the ageing population. It has been proven that leading an active life whilst maintaining good social connections as one ages has health benefits, like a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cardiac disease, and a better quality of life. I was told that some of the students, having become more aware of the challenges associated with ageing through this event, have taken the initiative to reach out to their own grandparents and elders at home. I’m very happy to hear this, because this will help us to develop people, students and parents in future to not only have good values, but to be good citizens of Singapore. I hope that such efforts at intergenerational communication will flourish; after all, it has been proven that strong family ties and better communication are protective factors against depression in the elderly.
Grooming future industry talents holistically

8. I am pleased to note that the School of Hospitality at the Republic Polytechnic, which is dedicated to the grooming of talents to meet the hospitality and services industries, has supported the holistic development of their students through corporate social responsibility events such as iChef for Health. The RP School of Hospitality has not only encouraged their students to apply their classroom knowledge to practical use but also given them a glimpse of the other roles and responsibilities that they will undertake later in their working lives. By supporting this charity event, RP School of Hospitality and their students are actively doing their part to propagate our vision of Singapore as an inclusive society.

9. What is also noteworthy is that the iChef for Health project is not just about planning a Christmas lunch for the elderly. It inculcates character development and life skills such as teamwork, tolerance, planning, initiative, communication, and discipline amongst the students. It is my hope that this sense of charity and willingness to give back to society will continue to be part of the students’ lives as they progress in their careers in the hospitality industry.

Cooking up Health recipe book – spicing up the menu

10. The other highlight of today’s event is the launch of the Cooking up Health cook book, a collection of selected recipes which originated from the iChef culinary competitions 2012. The book modifies recipes from the iChef culinary competitions to improve their nutritional value, and to make them more suitable for the elderly. Students in the Diploma course in Restaurant and Culinary Operations of RP’s School of Hospitality, spent two months reviewing and improving on the nutritional value of the recipes under the guidance of the Singapore Chefs Association.

11. It is important that all Singaporeans, especially our elderly, maintain a balanced nutrition, as this is essential for good health. It is a myth that nutritious and healthier food options are not as tasty, and therefore, I am sure the elderly at these homes will welcome the addition of new appetising and healthy dishes prepared from the recipes published in the cook book for their daily meals. I would like to urge the elderly to give their homes a chance to prepare such meals. I hope you will taste it, try it - you will never know, it could taste better than normal food. On a related note, I would like to encourage everyone to be aware of the nutritional value of food and beverage (F&B) products, choose items with lower salt, sugar and fat contents, and use healthier cooking methods such as steaming and boiling. It is very simple to do so. Looking out for Health Promotion Board (HPB)’s Healthier Choice Symbol will help the public make healthier food choices. HPB’s website and digital online channel HealthyMe TV also carry useful tips and information on healthy living. It is not only healthy; it will also make you feel good. And over time, if you feel good, and you like the food, you will crave for it and this will become the routine in your life.

Closing

12. Aside from its very commendable efforts in promoting charity and nurturing corporate social responsibility in the hospitality industry, iChef also forms a bridge between the young talents and the industry. The Republic Polytechnic School of Hospitality has gained much support from partners such as the HPB and Singapore Chefs Association to showcase this event. These initiatives all contribute to preparing our young talents for the hospitality industry. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the industry partners, who are here today, for their support, and to the students of Republic Polytechnic and the secondary schools who have made this possible. In fact, I met a few of them and I was impressed at how they presented themselves professionally and in them, we see a good hope for our future.

13. I hope to see more such ground-up movements and collaborations across the people, public and private sectors that will benefit more Singaporeans. I commend the organisers, RP and all its partners, and participants for remembering the less fortunate during this festive period. I would like to thank our beloved senior citizens too. Your presence today makes our event more colourful and interesting.

14. Thank you and I wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday.

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¹ As reported by Basu, Radha. "The wait continues..." The Straits Times 4 Feb 2012: D8.