Healthy food labels need an update

I would like to suggest that the Ministry of Health provide more relevant food labelling in view of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally message on combating the high incidence of diabetes in Singapore (Eat less white rice, switch to brown or mixed rice, urges PM; Aug 21).

The Healthier Choice label has become very ambiguous and even misleading.

A simple start could be the introduction of labels like

•Diabetic-friendly (DF) or Low GI (LGI)

•Diabetics Consume in Moderation (DCM)

•Not suitable for Diabetics (NSD)

To further raise awareness in these new labels, there could be a contest to choose the best designed symbols for all these categories.

Colin Ong Tau Shien

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 21, 2017, with the headline Healthy food labels need an update. Subscribe