NTUC to give discounts for healthier household items

QX179R SG

NTUC to give discounts for healthier FairPrice household items

SINGAPORE: To encourage healthy eating choices among Singaporeans, NTUC Social Enterprises launched an initiative on Thursday (Jun 23), with discounts for healthier FairPrice household items such as rice and cooking oil.

The Healthy Eating and Living Initiative encourages Singaporeans to choose healthier staples of oils, whole grains and less sugar.

NTUC FairPrice will offer up to 15 per cent discount on FairPrice healthy cooking oils till the end of the year, and a 5 per cent discount on house brand whole grain rice for two months.

Under the initiative, healthier cooking oil will also be used at all stalls in NTUC Foodfare’s 70 food courts and coffee shops in two to three years’ time.

Currently, only 33 per cent of its food court stalls and 6 per cent of its coffee shop stalls use healthier cooking oil, but NTUC said by 2019, all food stall tenants will use healthier cooking oils by 2019.

The initiative is a collaboration with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and is part of efforts for a coordinated effort across NTUC's various social enterprises including NTUC FairPrice, NTUC First Campus, NTUC Foodfare, NTUC Health, NTUC Income, NTUC LearningHub and NTUC Link.

NTUC IncomeShield policyholders will also be given incentives to stay healthy. Those who pass all four tests in Income’s health screening will receive S$50 in shopping vouchers.

To encourage more children to eat fruit and vegetables daily, children at NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool pre-school centres will also receive a sticker booklet. Pre-school centres are currently also offering healthy meals under HPB’s Healthy Meals in Childcare Centre Programme.

This initiative is part of a "big strategic shift" to address the changing social needs of the future, said NTUC Enterprise Group Chief Executive Tan Suee Chieh.

Based on the results of a recent survey conducted with 1,600 respondents, NTUC Social Enterprises will be expanding its services to address four main concerns: Ageing, healthcare costs, social mobility and cost of living. Traditionally, it focused primarily on concerns with costs of living.

Its 10-year-plan will include providing good value to consumers, support for the elderly to age in place, resources for the young and adults to make better progress in life and its healthier living initiative.

- CNA/lc