SINGAPORE – Some supermarkets here are seeing greater interest in low-sodium salt, amid efforts by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to reduce sodium consumption for health reasons.
In September, HPB said it was working with major retailers to introduce house brand lower-sodium salt by 2023, with supermarket chains FairPrice and Sheng Siong introducing K-Salt, a more affordable lower-sodium salt product, in October.
This is in line with efforts by the authorities to cut the sodium intake of people here by about 15 per cent over the next five years.
Singaporeans consume an average of about 3,600mg of sodium a day – well above the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily salt intake of not more than 2,000mg, or about one teaspoon.
Excessive sodium consumption can result in high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
A spokesman for Sheng Siong said the supermarket chain, which has 67 outlets here, has observed an uptick in demand for lower-sodium salt since HPB’s September announcement.
He added that Sheng Siong currently carries three types of low-sodium salt products, though these make up less than 5 per cent of its total sales for salt products.
DFI Retail Group, which operates the Cold Storage, Giant and Market Place supermarkets, among others, also said it has seen an increase in sales of low-sodium salt since late September.
“While supermarkets under DFI Retail Group have not started selling the low-sodium K-salt, we have plans to bring in K-salt soon,” said a DFI spokesman.
The group currently sells one type of low-sodium salt and intends to source for more such products, the spokesman added.
Neither Sheng Siong nor DFI provided figures on the increase in sales for low-sodium salt.
FairPrice noted that K-Salt is currently available at more than 60 of its outlets, as well as online.
The supermarket chain said it is too early to provide meaningful data on sales of K-Salt. But it added that it remains optimistic on the demand for lower-sodium options from a growing number of health-conscious consumers who are increasingly keen on healthier choices.
Checks on some smaller chains, such as the Ang Mo and U Stars supermarkets, found that they also carry low-sodium salt alternatives.
