HPB launches Healthier Hawker Centre in Marine Parade

SINGAPORE: Marine Parade now has its own Healthier Hawker Centre, launched on Sunday morning by Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Marine Parade has a higher proportion of elderly residents, and with the launch of the Healthier Hawker Centre in Marine Terrace — block 50A Marine Terrace Food Centre — they need not travel far for healthier versions of their favourite hawker fare.

All stalls at the food centre have switched to oil which has lower saturated fat.

Seven of the stalls have also started to use healthier salt, brown rice or wholegrain noodles.

This is the fifth hawker centre under the Health Promotion Board’s Healthier Hawker Centre initiative.

A study by HPB showed that about 80 per cent of senior citizens in the Marine Parade constituency have at least one chronic disease.

The board hopes to help the elderly improve their health by providing them with healthier choices at their neighbourhood hawker centre.

By 2013, the HPB hopes to have more hawkers on board with at least 50 healthy hawker centres across the island.

Ang Hak Seng, CEO of the Health Promotion Board, said: "Through our network of suppliers, (hawkers) are able to buy healthy ingredients at the same price as normal (ones).

"Our study also showed that a very high percentage of Singaporeans, close to 90 per cent of Singaporeans, are aware of the importance of eating healthy food. What’s important is to create the choice so that they can eat healthy food."

— CNA/cc/ck