A five per cent discount is offered on all FairPrice housebrand wholegrain rice for three months
A five per cent discount on all 1,000 products carrying the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) is also offered for 2 weeks
Singapore, 8 June 2016 – NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) announced today a five per cent discount on all FairPrice housebrand wholegrain rice for the next three months. In addition, all its Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) certified items, which comprise about 1,000 products, will also be offered a similar discount for the next two weeks, across its 133 supermarkets islandwide. This is the start of a series of initiatives by the organisation this year to promote healthy eating and drive awareness on diabetes. Total savings from these discounts are expected to amount to more than half a million dollars for FairPrice’s customers.
Chairman of NTUC FairPrice, Mr Bobby Chin, said: “FairPrice serves to make lives better by offering greater value on healthier daily essentials. Rice is a commonly consumed staple in Singapore and by promoting wholegrain rice as a healthier alternative, we are taking a proactive approach in the prevention and management of chronic diseases like diabetes. Beyond rice, we also support the government’s call in advocating a holistic approach towards healthy eating by also providing quality and value for all our Healthier Choice Symbol products.”
Tackling diabetes with wholegrain rice
With the 422 million diabetic adults in the world expected to double in the next 20 years[1], the war against the disease continues to grow. Locally, Singapore has also been found to have the second-highest diabetes prevalence among developed nations, after the US[2], where 1 out of 9 Singapore residents are affected by diabetes[3] and 1 in 3 have a chance of getting diabetes in their lifetime.
As an alternative to white rice, wholegrain rice has been shown to lower the risk of developing diabetes while containing more fibre, vitamins and minerals. The five per cent discount for all FairPrice housebrand wholegrain rice serves to encourage customers to consume these healthier alternatives. The discount is applicable namely to FairPrice Thai Brown Unpolished Rice, FairPrice Thai Red Unpolished Rice and FairPrice Thai Rice Blend, which is a mix of white and brown rice.
Ms Gladys Wong, member of the Management Committee of the Diabetic Society of Singapore commented: “Diabetes is a chronic disease. Prevention methods, such as maintaining a healthy body weight, increasing physical activity, and eating healthily can help to prevent or delay its onset. 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.”
Since 2014, FairPrice took the lead to advocate for the consumption of brown rice through its annual Walk for Rice event by donating brown rice to low-income families. FairPrice has also seen the sale of housebrand brown rice increase by 25 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the year before.
Encouraging consumption of Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) items
The five per cent discount for HCS products, which include popular named brands and housebrands, will apply to the close to 1,000 items that FairPrice carries, for the period of two weeks. These products are generally lower in total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar, while some are higher in dietary fibre, calcium and whole grains compared to similar products within the same food category.
The discount for healthier food products comes at a time when Singaporeans are growing to be more aware and conscious of health and nutrition. Over the past year, FairPrice has seen sales for HCS products grow by five per cent.
Mr Zee Yoong Kang, CEO of the Singapore Health Promotion Board (HPB) added: “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.”
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[1] http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2016/en/
[2] http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/singapore-has-2nd-highest-proportion-of-diabetics
[3] National Health Survey 2010
