SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Khaw Boon
Wan said Singapore should "prohibit trans fat" and questioned
whether there are healthier alternatives
available.
In a blog post published on Friday, Mr Khaw said
these are issues he had already taken up when he was the Health
Minister.
Mr Khaw said his Ministry will follow up on the
trans fat issue with the Ministry of Health.
He said his Ministry is responsible for food security and safety,
which comes under the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority
(AVA).
Mr Khaw said globalisation and increase in the world population has
made food safety even more important.
And with Singapore importing over 90 per cent of its food, Mr Khaw
said AVA conducts daily inspections and it tests food for
food-borne hazards such as pesticide residues and other harmful
organisations.
Besides food safety, Mr Khaw also highlighted the importance of
having healthy food.
He also expressed disgust on a recent incident in Zhejiang
province, China, where a syndicate collected used oil from sewer
and recycled it as cooking oil and sold it in 14 provinces.
"The extent of human greed and lack of scruple at the expense of
consumers' well-being was incredible. Who knows we may be victims
who had eaten in the affected province in China?" Mr Khaw wrote in
his blog.
Trans fat, also known as trans fatty acids, is synthetically
produced.
It is commonly found in vegetable oils, margarines and fast-food
products and is known to raise the risk of coronary heart
disease.
- CNA/fa