Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just one supplementary question based on the Senior Parliamentary Secretary’s answer. I just wanted to check, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary mentioned this grant that is made available to producers to introduce alternatives or manufacturing processes to lower the sodium input into the products and the food that eventually comes out. I am just wondering what is the uptake rate of this scheme? How many producers have actually been granted and what is the size of the average grants, and what are the efforts to be made to encourage more producers to take up this grant in order to reformulate some of the manufacturing processes?
Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Thank you for the question. As I explained to Dr Lim earlier, I do not have the specific numbers and data here and I will be happy to answer the question if the Member files an additional question. But earlier, I also alluded to the different numbers and the different parties that we have been working with and the uptake on that front. We are continuing in these efforts.
I think this is all hands on deck and a multi-pronged approach, upstream approach on this. If we do work with the suppliers, the costs then need not be transferred to the hawkers, to the restaurants, all consumers will also not be affected.
So, I hope that something is that we can get Members to also continue to share and encourage – these are different groups that we are talking about. We are working upstream, but at the same time, we also need the community to avail themselves to some of these products. Because as you know, when there is a higher demand for healthier food, for low-sodium options, this will also encourage the food service providers to move towards this direction. So, I hope that there will be a whole-of-community support in this effort.
Ministry of Health
6 November 2023
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=oral-answer-3364
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 