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I was happy when I saw the headline . However, my happiness was short-lived when I read that the plan was to promote a switch to lower-sodium alternatives. I thought a simpler and cheaper way would be to reduce the absolute amount of regular salt used in cooking dishes, especially when the cost of the lower-sodium alternatives is about 10 times higher. Besides salt, Singaporeans are already being advised to reduce their sugar intake. The other item to look out for is oil. Sometimes I see food swimming in oil. To ensure the taste of food sold would not be adversely affected by a sudden reduction of these three ingredients (sodium, oil and sugar), we could spread out the reduction over a few years. The other suggestion is for the health authorities to work with the culinary institutes in Singapore to develop healthier yet tasty dishes. Also, training and refresher courses for food handlers to get or retain their certificates should include the topic of healthier food. "Less salt, less oil" is what I tell the stallholders wherever possible. However, with economy rice stalls, which most people patronise because of the variety of dishes available, I get uncalled for remarks whenever I make such requests. Hence, it would be very helpful if we can get the economy rice stall operators to be partners in these initiatives for healthier food. Most people, including my family, eat out very often at hawker centres and foodcourts. If it is possible to get the food and beverage organisations and foodcourt and hawker centre operators to be part of the Healthier SG drive, it would be very impactful. This healthier push requires a whole-of-nation effort.