Can you tell the difference between regular salt and low-sodium salt?
Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung took part in blind taste test recently to promote low-sodium salt as a healthier alternative to normal salt.
He was joined by Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Health.
In the TikTok video, Minister Ong tasted two versions of mee siam goreng and biryani chicken.
His challenge? Attempting to guess which dishes were made with regular salt and which were made with low sodium salt.
Rahayu did the same with braised tofu.
We won’t spoil the results for you: Check out Ong’s TikTok video at the end of the article.
Both arrived at the conclusion that there’s no discernable difference between dishes made with low-sodium salt and regular salt, especially when there are seasonings, like curry, added.
Keeping low-sodium alternatives affordable
Ong ended his video with the assurance that the Government will try to keep low-sodium salt affordable:
“Low-sodium salt costs a bit more — a few more dollars a year — but through HPB’s grants and incentives, we will try to make it just as affordable as normal salt, at least for hawkers and restaurants as a start.”
Currently, salt alternatives are about ten times the price of regular salt. However, a more affordable option will go on sale soon at FairPrice and Sheng Siong from October this year. Called K-salt, it reduces sodium content by more than 30 per cent and will cost S$2.50 for a 400g packet.
Low-sodium salt typically contains about 30 per cent less sodium than regular salt. It is seen as a healthier alternative because too much sodium intake can lead to hypertension which is a major factor for heart disease and strokes.
This push for low-sodium salt is part of the Singapore government’s Healthier SG initiative. Singaporeans currently consume about 3,600 mg of sodium each day on average, which is way above the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit of 2,000mg.
The Health Promotion Board aims to reduce Singapore’s sodium intake by 15 per cent over the next five years.
Watch the taste test here:
Top image: Ong Ye Kung/TikTok