Forum: Don’t normalise having ultra-processed foods in pre-schools

My child is enrolled in a pre-school bearing healthy pre-school accreditation by the Health Promotion Board (HPB). While I appreciate the intent behind the Healthy Meals in Pre-schools Programme, I am concerned that it risks being more symbolic than substantive.

Current guidelines appear flexible to the point of inconsistency. Foods such as sweetened cereals, jam or kaya sandwiches, biscuits and artificially sweetened beverages are regularly served, while items like breaded nuggets may be given during outings.

Although these may meet “healthier” criteria, they remain ultra-processed foods. These are not essential in children’s diets – if not introduced, children would not miss them.

A key issue lies in the reliance on the Healthier Choice symbol. This label is relative: It identifies options lower in sugar, sodium or fat, compared with similar products, but does not make them truly healthy.

A “healthier” processed food is still processed, and such foods contain food additives and artificial flavouring. Presenting these as suitable everyday options risks creating an illusion of health rather than promoting genuine nutrition.

While the Healthier Choice symbol has its place, using it as a guideline for pre-school nutrition feels outdated. As a society, we should move beyond simply reducing sugar, sodium or fat, and instead prioritise whole, nutritious foods. Pre-school meals should reflect this by offering a variety of whole grains, quality proteins, fruits, green leafy and colourful vegetables, eggs, legumes, oats, Greek yogurt and nuts.

I am also concerned about the prohibition in many pre-schools of breast milk for children beyond 18 months, despite the World Health Organization and HPB explicitly recommending breastfeeding for two years and beyond. Parents who wish to provide expressed breast milk should be supported.

There is much scope to strengthen the implementation of the healthy meals programme. Clearer and firmer standards – rather than guidelines that merely discourage certain foods – would better reflect what “healthy” truly means. This would help parents make more informed decisions when selecting pre-schools.

Occasional treats have their place when chosen consciously. If we are serious about building a healthier nation and reducing the burden of chronic diseases, we must start early – by shaping children’s diets, palates and expectations around real food, not ultra-processed substitutes framed as “healthier” choices.

Au Hoi Ting