LABELLING OF FOOD PRODUCTS

Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Health whether his Ministry will make it compulsory to label all food products sold in Singapore with the necessary dietary information.

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Mr Speaker, Sir, all pre-packaged food products are required under the Food Regulations to bear a label to show the list of ingredients and additives.

A diet that is not excessive in energy, fat and salt, and provides adequate nutrients and dietary fibre helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Provision of nutrition information on food products allows consumers to compare the nutritional value of different products and make informed decisions when they purchase the products. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is actively promoting nutrition labelling and is working with food manufacturers to encourage them to voluntarily label their products.

Since the implementation of the nutritional labelling programme, there has been an increasing number of products carrying nutrition information. HPB will continue to promote and facilitate nutrition labelling by food manufacturers.

Dr Warren Lee: Sir, can I ask the Minister, with regard to health supplement products sold as food, how rigorous is the Ministry's labelling requirements?

Mr Lim Hng Kiang: Mr Speaker, Sir, there are many products in the market. Some of them try to pass themselves off with all kinds of claims on health benefits. My Ministry continues to monitor this and make sure that such claims are correctly substantiated. The minimum requirement in Singapore, throughout the whole continuum, whether it is food, health supplements or drugs, is that the manufacturers must list the ingredients and show truthfully what goes into the product. That is the minimum they have to do. Beyond that, we will continue to take action to make sure that they are able to substantiate their claim.

My only other comment to Singaporeans is - take all these claims with a pinch of salt!