HYPERTENSION, SODIUM INTAKE ON THE RISE
The findings released on Wednesday also highlighted a near-doubling in the prevalence of hypertension, since 2010.
High blood pressure – described by MOH as a “long-term rising trend” – went from 19.8 per cent in 2010 to 35.5 per cent in 2019-2020 and 37 per cent in 2021-2022.
“This was observed even after adjusting for the effect of an ageing population,” the Health Ministry added.
Meanwhile, HPB’s survey on nutrition found that the daily sodium intake of Singapore residents increased from 3,480mg in 2019 to 3,620mg in 2022.
Nine in 10 Singapore residents exceeded the daily recommended intake of less than 2,000mg or one teaspoon of salt, said HPB.
The key drivers behind about 80 per cent of sodium intake were added salt, sauces and seasonings in dishes such as porridge and meat and vegetable soups; gravy and sauce-based dishes such as mee rebus, laksa and curries; stir-fried dishes; fried rice, nasi lemak and chicken rice; as well as the salt added when manufacturing bread and noodles.
More food items today also contain more than the recommended 2,000mg of sodium per serving, said HPB.
On average, sodium content has increased by 22 per cent per dish from 2010 to 2023, survey results showed. This was due to increases in both portion size and sodium content per 100g of food, HPB added.
Last September, HPB encouraged people to switch from regular salt to lower-sodium alternatives.
The statutory board also said it aims to reduce Singapore’s sodium intake by about 15 per cent over the next five years, shaving off a quarter teaspoon of salt per person, per day.
MOH also announced last year at the Committee of Supply debates that it would introduce measures to curb sodium consumption.
It said at the time that HPB would work with suppliers and the food service sector to encourage the use of lower-sodium alternatives over regular salt in cooking
On Wednesday, MOH and HPB encouraged Singapore residents to use the Healthier Choice symbol to identify ingredients and food products with at least 25 per cent sodium reduction.
“When cooking, herbs, spices and umami ingredients can be used to add flavour to food, without too much salt or seasonings,” they said.
“When eating out, diners are advised to look out for stores with the Healthier Choice identifier, and ask for less gravy, sauces or soup, as these tend to be high in sodium.”
In the retail sector, one in four sauce and seasoning products are lower in sodium currently. Over in food service, nine sauce suppliers and three salt suppliers are supplying lower-sodium ingredients to close to 800 eateries, said HPB, adding that more would come onboard in the approaching months.