Parliamentary QA
Display of Calorie and Nutrition Information in Menus for More Informed Decisions by Consumers
14 October 2024
This article has been migrated from an earlier version of the site and may display formatting inconsistencies.
NOTICE PAPER NO. 3134
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 14 OCTOBER 2024
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Ong Hua Han
Nominated MP
Question No. 6179
To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether additional steps will be taken to encourage food and beverage (F&B) establishments to display calorie and nutrition information alongside their menus; and (b) whether the Ministry is considering new regulations for F&B chains to provide such information to enable consumers to make more informed decisions in choosing healthier food.
Answer
1 We have not made it a requirement for food and beverage (F&B) establishments to display calorie information. Based on our population disease profile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) assessed it is more important to provide information on nutrients that will be harmful if over-consumed, namely, sugar, sodium and saturated fat.
2 We therefore have several initiatives in place to achieve this. For example, larger F&B establishments are required to display Nutri-Grade labels on their menus for Grade C or D beverages that are higher in sugar and saturated fat.
3 Under the Health Promotion Board (HPB) voluntary Healthier Dining Programme (HDP), participating F&B establishments may display identifiers on their store fronts and menuboards to inform consumers of the availability of healthier options, including those that are lower in sugar or calories. As of March 2024, more than 3,100 F&B establishments, with over 9,000 outlets island-wide, have joined the HDP.
4 We are also planning to introduce mandatory labelling of prepackaged products (e.g. sauces and seasonings) for sodium and saturated fat content, and will continue to encourage F&B establishments to choose healthier ingredients.
5 MOH and HPB will continue monitoring the impact of existing measures. We remain open to considering further measures, voluntary or mandatory, that are practicable and implementable in our local context, to support Singaporeans in adopting healthier diets.