NTUC FairPrice and NTUC Foodfare empower Singaporeans to live healthier lives

• Launch of revamped FairPrice Xtra at AMK Hub features an integrated Unity store-in-store concept that offers close to 5,600 beauty, health and wellness products, in addition to pharmacist counselling and telemedicine consultation services
• First low-glycemic index ready meals launched in Singapore under NTUC Foodfare’s Chef’s Finest Low-GI label

1. In line with their goal of encouraging Singaporeans to live healthier lives, NTUC FairPrice and NTUC Foodfare announced a lineup of new product and service offerings today. This includes a refreshed integrated Unity store-in-store concept piloted at NTUC FairPrice Xtra hypermarket at AMK Hub, providing a large variety of health and wellness products and services, and the first low-glycemic index (low-GI) ready meals in Singapore by NTUC Foodfare under the Chef’s Finest Low-GI label.
2. NTUC Enterprise and its group of social enterprises provide access to affordable and quality goods and services in areas like health and eldercare, childcare, daily essentials, cooked food and financial services. This collaboration by its two social enterprises, NTUC FairPrice and NTUC Foodfare, builds on its ongoing efforts to improve accessibility to healthier options for Singaporeans.
3. “Healthy eating and living are key concerns among Singaporeans as health consciousness continues to grow. Consumers are making informed food choices and keeping active as they take ownership of their health. As our nation ramps up its efforts in the fight against diabetes, our NTUC Social Enterprises have come together to improve accessibility to a wider range of products and services for Singaporeans to lead healthier lifestyles,” said Guest of Honour, Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of NTUC, at the launch event today.

NTUC FairPrice: Launch of the new Unity store-in-store concept

1. In a survey¹ conducted by IGD this year, it was noted that health consciousness among Singaporeans is high – 89 percent believe that it is their own responsibility to follow a healthy, balanced diet, and almost all are trying to improve their diet in some way. More than half said they eat more fruits and vegetables, a third said they try to eat a balanced diet and a quarter said they make efforts to cut down on sugar intake.
2. “To further empower the community to live healthier lives, we have revamped the FairPrice Xtra hypermarket at AMK Hub – one of our largest stores on the island,” said Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO, NTUC FairPrice. “The store now incorporates different aspects of health, wellness and beauty through an enhanced range of products and services, made conveniently available under one roof. This concept complements consumers’ shopping preference and caters to their evolving needs. More importantly, we hope our efforts in support of the national health drive will encourage more Singaporeans to adopt a healthier lifestyle.”
3. The revamped NTUC FairPrice Xtra hypermarket at AMK Hub incorporates a Unity store-in-store concept, which aims to empower consumers to “Eat Well, Live Well, Feel Well and Look Well” through an enhanced range of products and services suitable for people of all ages and profiles. Customers will be able to find close to 5,600 beauty, health and wellness products: organic items, health supplements, medicine, and beauty related products such as cosmetics and skincare products.
4. Besides products, the integrated Unity store-in-store concept provides pharmacist counselling services where customers can seek advice from expert pharmacists on medication and healthcare matters. A new service, called iDoc, allows customers to speak to a doctor over video conference to obtain a diagnosis as well as a prescription, which is then relayed back to the pharmacist. This telemedicine consultation costs $15, while staff and students of affiliated institutions² pay $10.
5. Additionally, to engage shoppers on health-related matters, event spaces have been purpose-built into the design of the revamped store where activities such as exercise demonstrations and skin health scanning services will be held.

NTUC Foodfare: First in Singapore to launch low-GI ready meals

1. Seeking to provide healthier food options to all Singaporeans, NTUC Foodfare is Singapore’s first provider of tasty, low-GI ready meals that are also diabetic-friendly and priced affordably. NTUC Foodfare is not new to the ready meals space, having successfully launched Chef’s Finest and Chef’s Finest Light³ in 2017.
2. “To provide affordable and healthier meals is at the core of what drives NTUC Foodfare forward. Following the success of Chef’s Finest Light, a healthier selection of ready meals, we are proud to launch our latest Chef’s Finest Low-GI ready meals to offer a convenient, low-GI dietary option for health-conscious customers. We also recognise that with the nation’s war on diabetes, it calls for more low-GI ready meal choices, which are diabetic-friendly. The Chef’s Finest Low-GI ready meal selection is our response to this gap in the market”, shared Mr Perry Ong, CEO, NTUC Foodfare.
3. In the current ready meals market place, it is a challenge for diabetic patients and their caregivers to find suitable ready meals due to strict dietary requirements. With these low-GI ready meals, not only is NTUC Foodfare meeting the needs of these groups of users, it is also helping consumers in general manage their diet and lower the risk of diabetes.
4. To develop these low-GI ready meals, NTUC Foodfare worked with staff and students from Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Applied Science. The research and development process started in November 2017. This collaboration leverages Temasek Polytechnic’s expertise in this field as it is the first accredited GI Research Unit in this region. Together, NTUC Foodfare and Temasek Polytechnic pioneered Singapore’s first ready, diabetic-friendly meals, which are also the first low-GI ready meals to be endorsed by the Health Promotion Board.
5. The low-GI ready meals will be available at selected NTUC FairPrice outlets from 10 December 2018 onwards.

¹ NResearch by IGD titled “Healthier Product Reformulation in Singapore” (2018): https://foodindustry.asia/documentdownload.axd?documentresourceid=30397
² NTUC FairPrice, Bundle of Joy, St. Andrew’s Nursing Home, Omron, Unity, DC Financial, NUS Style, Corlison, MacPher50n, More than just Condoms, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Okamoto
³ Certified Healthier Choice by the Health Promotion Board of Singapore