Jakarta, Mar 14, 2014 - (ANTARA) - As much of the world battles with escalating health bills related to obesity and the wrong food choices, with one in nine Singaporeans being obese, a recent poll showed a majority of Singaporeans do not read or understand the information printed on food packaging.
This was highlighted in a recent poll commissioned by milk and dairy produce manufacturer, Greenfields, looking into Singaporean buying habits for basic produce including dairy and other household items commonly available in supermarkets and grocery shops nationwide.
58% of those polled said that they typically "ignored" or did not read the information on packaging before purchasing dairy products or other produce, while 52% of the respondents claimed that they were not sure how to verify or validate packaging information before making their purchase.
"It is important that consumers know what they are buying and especially with fundamental foodstuffs such as milk, cheese and bread. Awareness of what goes into each product is the first step in helping us make the healthy choice, but it also enables us to assert our rights as consumers," explained Jan Gert Vistisen, Head of Sales and Marketing, AustAsia Food Pte Ltd.
Food labelling has already been identified as critical in the global fight against obesity and earlier this year United States First Lady Michelle Obama launched a significant revamp in the labelling requirements for American food products making them easier to understand.
Many producers still do not provide adequate or accurate information on packaging which prevents consumers from making informed decisions on basic produce. Delivering what is promised and being transparent is a fundamental philosophy guiding everything at Greenfields. As such, the milk producer does not add milk solids, additives, hormones or milk permeates to its fresh milk.
"Singaporean consumers are lagging behind many of their global counterparts in demanding and analysing the information on food products," continued Vistisen. "Educating our consumers to ensure best practices in food safety and a healthy consumer awareness is still a fundamental challenge in a country where slick advertising too frequently overrules better judgement."
Influenced by promotional marketing
A majority of the respondents, 77%, stated that they were mostly influenced by promotional marketing and advertising materials before purchasing groceries, including dairy products. Of these, 27% said that they were frequently dissatisfied with their purchases as they fell short on the "promise".
While almost all dissatisfied consumers, 73%, complained to store owners and demanded a refund, an astounding 84% of the respondents were unaware of the next steps to take to ensure producers refrained from misleading the consumer.
"The results from this poll provide an insight into the behaviour and attitudes among consumers in Singapore and it is worrying," added Vistisen. "We urge consumers to be more aware and more assertive in protecting their rights and interests."
About Greenfields
For over 15 years, Greenfields Milk has provided Southeast Asia with the freshest milk available - and has done it the 'Honest' way. With the knowledge that happy cows make great milk, our state-of-art farm facility in the beautiful highlands of East Java, Malang, Indonesia is home to over 6,000 Holstein cows that are ethically treated and scientifically managed by a team of veterinarians and nutritionists. These happy cows produce an average of 27 million liters of fresh milk a year. Our fully-integrated dairy farm also ensures that Greenfields Milk is delivered faster and fresher, right to your supermarket and your fridge, in keeping with our promise of delivering 'Honest Milk'. Producing 'Honest Milk' is a reflection of the company's promise to provide only the best quality milk that's fresh and completely free of additives, preservatives and hormones. We also have our own brand of mozzarella cheese which is made to a classic Italian recipe and held to the same high standards. We distribute our products all around Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Singapore. For more information, visit us at www.greenfieldsmilk.com.
For more information please contact:
Sally Lum
Head of Marketing
AustAsia Pte Ltd
Tel: +65 6396 3323
Sallylum@sg.austasia.biz
Darren Hipp
Account Director
Priority Consultants
Tel: +65 6338 1006
darren.hipp@priorityconsultants.com
Editor: PR Wire
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