Discount on
NTUC FairPrice wholegrain rice as war on diabetes steps
up
SINGAPORE: In a bid to intensify the war against diabetes, NTUC
FairPrice announced on Wednesday (8 Jun) that it will offer a 5 per
cent discount on its housebrand wholegrain rice for three
months.
The offer applies to the Fairprice brand's Thai Brown Unpolished
Rice, Thai Red Unpolished Rice and Thai Rice Blend, which is a mix
of white and brown rice.
Fairprice will also give the same discount for products carrying
the Health Promotion Board’s Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) for a
fortnight, across its 133 supermarkets.
The supermarket chain hopes this will encourage people to
consume healthier carbohydrates as wholegrain rice contains more
fibre, vitamins and minerals than white rice. The healthier options
have been shown to lower the risk of developing diabetes.
The move was welcomed by health officials and advocates.
"We continue to advocate the replacement of refined staples with
wholegrain varieties and the reduction of sugar sweetened beverages
as priority efforts to enable Singaporeans to combat such chronic
diseases,” said Gladys Wong, member of the Management Committee of
the Diabetic Society of Singapore.
Mr Zee Yoong Kang, CEO of the Singapore Health Promotion Board
(HPB) lauded the move by Fairprice,“We are pleased that FairPrice
is taking active steps to raise the awareness of healthier choice
options amongst consumers, including promoting wholegrain items.
"
"The market share of Healthier Choice Symbol products has been
gaining market share with sales of Healthier Choice Symbol products
growing at nine per cent annually. This is a very encouraging sign
that more and more Singaporeans are taking steps to select
healthier options when grocery shopping. We encourage more F&B
retailers to join in this effort so that together we can increase
the pervasiveness of healthier options for Singaporeans.”
The announcement marks the start of a slew of initiatives to be
rolled out by the supermarket chain this year, to raise awareness
on diabetes and to promote healthier eating.
- -CNA/fr