Ever wondered what you ate was good for you? Local food manufacturers and importers can now carry nutrient specific health claims on the packaging or advertisements of their products. All this is thanks to a recent review by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.

Done in consultation with the Health Promotion Board, the review on nutrient specific diet-related health claims for qualified food products aims to provide good health advice to consumers. The approved health claims, aligned with the guidelines of major developed countries, also address some of the most common health challenges here.

"Consumers can now make more informed decisions and plan a healthier and balanced diet when selecting food products with health benefits," AVA said. "This will lower the risk of diet-related ailments such as osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease."

Such health claims were disallowed previously due to a lack of evidence linking consumption of specific foods with improved health condition. But this concern faded as more scientific evidence became available to verify the connections claimed. The review was also timely, as it coincided with the global move towards including health advice in food labels and advertisements.

However, only food products which have been approved by HPB to carry the ´Healthier Choice´ symbol can apply to include these health claims. This ensures that the products considered meet the basic health criteria in terms of nutrient content.

There are currently about 2,400 products carrying the ‘Healthier Choice’ symbol on the market now.

To find out more about applying for the use of approve health claims, please visit: http://www.ava.gov.sg/FoodSector/FoodLabelingAdvertisement/.

List of Nutrient Specific Diet-Related Health Claims Allowed

i) A healthy diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D, with regular exercise, helps to achieve strong bones and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. (Name of food) is a good source of/high in/enriched in/fortified with calcium.

ii) A healthy diet low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, a risk factor for stroke and heart disease. (Name of food) is sodium free/ low in/ very low/ reduced in sodium.

iii) A healthy diet low in saturated fat and trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease. (Name of food) is free of/ low in saturated fats, trans fats.

iv) A healthy diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables that contain dietary fibre may reduce the risk of heart disease. (Name of food) is low/free of fat and high in dietary fibre.

v) A healthy diet rich in fibre-containing foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancers. (Name of food) is free/ low in fat and high in dietary fibre.