Debated in Parliament on 11 Jul 2016.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will consider regulations for food and beverage outlets to display calorie and nutrition information on their menus as part of its war on diabetes and countering rising obesity.
Evidence from other countries suggests that requiring calorie labels on menus can be effective in reducing the number of calories consumed, if consumers are aware of the labels and understand how to use them. Calorie labels also help to incentivise food and beverage businesses to modify their recipes and offer lower calorie options on their menus.
We have made some progress on this front in Singapore. Restaurants, such as Dian Xiao Er and The Soup Spoon, have shown the calorie values for all their menu items. Food court operators like Kopitiam have also done so at selected outlets. Other operators, such as Foodfare and Koufu, highlight the calorie value of their healthier dishes, while McDonald's and Subway provide calorie information online. There is scope to do more in this area and we will continue to work with the food and beverage industry to provide Singaporeans with a larger variety of healthier meal options.
The Diabetes Prevention and Care Taskforce will study Mr Zaqy Mohamad's proposal in consultation with our stakeholders, including hawkers and small businesses, and look at how we can balance the benefits and associated costs of implementation. I thank the Member for his suggestion.
PAPERCUTS