Potato chips, cookies and instant noodles available in Singapore will soon be healthier to consume.

Well, sort of.

Banning partially hydrogenated oils in Singapore

The Ministry of Health announced on June 6, 2019, that Singapore will be banning the use of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in all foods from June 2021.

PHOs are commonly found in pre-packaged foods such as creamer, spreads such as peanut butter, pastries such as cakes and cookies, instant noodles as well as snacks like potato chips.

Companies abiding by ban

Six companies will be complying with the ban by June 2020.

They are Gardenia Foods, Nestle Singapore, NTUC FairPrice, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong Group and Sunshine Bakeries.

According to Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Amrin Amin, there are accessible alternatives to replace PHOs and food prices are unlikely to increase as a result of the ban, Today reported.

Why is PHOs bad?

PHOs are a key source of artificial trans fats that can lead to an increased in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as bad cholesterol.

An increase in bad cholesterol also means higher risk in heart disease.

In Singapore, heart attack is the number two killer after cancer.