New standard to help operators prepare safe and nutritious food in suitable portions for children

Mr Masagos Zulkifli (second from left) at a launch event for new guidelines on nutrition and food services for infants and children at My First Skool in Punggol on May 31. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

SINGAPORE - To ensure children get a well-balanced diet, their lunch and dinner should consist of four main food groups – whole grains, lean meat, vegetables and fruit. Fruit should also not be used to replace vegetables because it contains different types of nutrients.

These recommendations are part of a new standard launched on Wednesday, to equip care centre operators and their food service providers with the information needed to prepare safe and nutritious food in appropriate portion sizes for infants and children up to 12 years old.

The new standard was launched against the backdrop of more children being placed in care centres by their working parents, and a rising proportion of overweight students aged six to 18 – from 11 per cent in 2013 to 16 per cent in 2021.

The Singapore Standard 692 Guidelines for Nutrition and Food Services for Infants and Children, or SS 692, was developed by a 20-member working group led by the National Healthcare Group (NHG), with representatives from healthcare, national agencies, research institutes, institutes of higher learning, relevant industry associations and service providers.

In a joint statement, NHG, the Singapore Manufacturing Federation and Enterprise Singapore said the key features of SS 692 are recommendations for conducting food safety and hygiene audits; developing menu plans covering food selection, preparation, number of servings and age-appropriate serving portions; ensuring the right food consistency for infants; and steps to wean them to solid food.

The guidelines include a list of foods likely to cause intolerances, hypersensitivities or allergic reactions, to better equip care centre operators and food service providers in menu planning. Checklists that supplement the guidelines further support care centre operators and food service providers in providing safe, high-quality and nutritious meals.

Ms Wong Suat Li, deputy director of group integrated care at NHG and chair of the working group, said that while there are other existing guidelines, such as the Health Promotion Board’s Healthy Meals in Pre-schools Programme and Healthy Meals in Schools Programme that aim to reduce the amount of fat, salt and sugar in food preparation, SS 692 offers additional guidance on age-appropriate food portions and allergens.

Various operators and even different centres under the same operator do not use a consistent serving size, Ms Wong said.

“To minimise the chances of over- or underfeeding, we actually came up with these guidelines which have serving portions by meal types and age groups to provide standardised recommendations to them,” she said. 

For example, children between the ages of three and six should have a serving of rice, half a serving of fruit, half a serving of vegetables and a quarter serving of meat for their lunch or dinner. Those between the ages of seven and nine can have more – 1½ half servings of rice, half a serving of fruit, half a serving of vegetables and half a serving of meat.

The standard includes a list of foods like types of tree nuts, crustaceans and milk products to avoid for those with food intolerances and hypersensitivities.

At the launch event at pre-school My First Skool in New Punggol Road, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health Masagos Zulkifli said the new guidelines come amid findings from a study on birth cohorts in Singapore that good eating behaviour can mitigate a child’s risk of obesity, even in children with risk factors like having a parent who is overweight.

Conversely, studies show that poor eating habits and improper nutrition during childhood can lead to obesity, which in turn increases the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, he said.

Mr Masagos said it is important to develop healthy eating habits and provide children with nutritious meals from a young age. He highlighted efforts such as the use of healthier ingredients like lower-sodium sauces, healthier oils and brown rice to prepare meals for pupils in some pre-schools and schools.

The new standard will complement current efforts, he noted.

“The standard provides recommendations across a wide range of areas, from recommended portion sizes and nutritional balance in meals to food safety and hygiene. I believe that this new standard will serve as an additional resource for school leaders, educators and food service providers,” he said.

While the new standard is voluntary, Ms Wong said the working group hopes to reach out to the 181 primary schools, 1,900 licensed pre-schools and 400 registered student care centres and food service providers in Singapore to adopt it.

They can decide themselves whether to implement the guidelines in all areas, or in areas that are relevant to their operations.

To encourage more to come on board, NHG plans to develop resources like portion guides and recipes to help school canteen management committees in central and northern Singapore apply the standard.

Ms Audrey Yap, vice-president and honorary treasurer of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), said the federation will do its part to engage food providers, especially those catering to infants and children, on the new standard. SMF has about 200 food and beverage companies as members.

Ms Thian Ai Ling, general manager of My First Skool, said she believes the new standard will serve as an additional source of reference for its educators and parents on nutrition for pre-schoolers.

It will also be a useful tool when they are looking to cater meals for school events. “When we procure food services now, we would have to indicate the food requirements like low-salt because of the age group we are serving. But with the standard, we don’t have to go back and forth to explain what we need,” said Ms Thian.

The standard can be purchased from the Singapore Standards e-shop.

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