SINGAPORE – Singaporeans’ sodium intake comes mostly from added condiments when dining out, and the Government’s efforts to tackle excessive sodium consumption will be shaped by such local context.
“In many European and Western countries, their main source of sodium is processed food, which households buy from shops or supermarkets. In Singapore, sodium comes mainly from added salt, sauces and seasonings, such as soya sauce, dark sauce, fish sauce and chilli sauce, and we consume them the most when we eat out,” said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament on Monday.
A key priority is therefore to work with manufacturers of salt and sauces, she said, adding that the Government is also planning a series of engagement sessions on the need to cut salt intake with food operators, and their industry and professional associations.
Currently, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) offers grant support to salt and sauce suppliers to reformulate their products through the Healthier Ingredient Development Scheme. As a result, lower-sodium alternatives have now become more accessible.
“Today, the wholesale price of most lower-sodium salt, sauces and seasonings supplied to food operators are comparable to that of regular versions. To date, HPB has garnered the commitment of 15 major manufacturers and food operators, representing over 30 per cent of the retail market for sauces and seasonings, and 10 per cent of food and beverage market share, to increase the variety and demand of lower-sodium ingredients,” said Ms Rahayu.
She was responding to a question by Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang GRC) on what policy changes would be implemented from the Government’s study on sodium taxes in countries where such measures have been implemented.
In September, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had announced that Singapore is studying possible regulatory measures to reduce sodium content in food, amid latest data showing that nine in 10 Singaporeans are consuming too much salt, and the rate of hypertension has almost doubled since 2010.
The 2022 National Population Health Survey showed that the rate of hypertension reached 37 per cent in 2021 to 2022, compared with 35.5 per cent in 2019 to 2020.
Ms Rahayu said that while Singapore has studied practices from countries such as Chile, where warning labels are put on soft drinks, sauces and processed meats, and Hungary, which imposes taxes on food items that have unhealthy levels of salt and sugar, the Republic does not intend to emulate any of these systems.
Pointing out that Singapore’s Nutri-Grade nutrition labelling system for sugary drinks has been effective in bringing down sugar consumption, she said that Singapore should likewise tackle excessive sodium consumption in a way that is suited to the country’s context.
The Nutri-Grade system is not a warning label – instead it grades drinks from A, the healthiest, to D, the least healthy.
“(The measures to tackle excessive sodium intake) will probably come in phases because we need to prepare the operators and the providers. So this is something that we will announce as we roll it out, and hopefully we can bring the whole community with us,” Ms Rahayu said.
She added that the other stakeholders the Government has to engage are food operators such as hawkers, restaurants, caterers and chefs to promote the adoption of lower-sodium ingredients.
“We will have to explain to them the need to cut our sodium intake, introduce them to lower-sodium ingredients, as well as provide them with samples that they can try out. We also hope that they will help us explain to the public that salt is an acquired taste, where if we over-consume it for some time, our taste buds get accustomed to it and fail to taste other natural ingredients.”
HPB will also be stepping up its public education campaign to increase Singaporeans’ receptiveness to using lower-sodium ingredients and change the perception that more salt and sauces are needed for flavourful dishes.
