1. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
AT A GLANCE
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
• Explain the different ways of obtaining
information on goods and services
• Interpret the different sources of
information
• Compare factors (quality, quantity, price,
packaging and features) to make the best
buy
• Discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of different forms of
shopping
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2. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
• Smart shoppers gather information about a
product or service in order to decide whether
to buy it
• Some sources from which we can gather
information on goods and services include:
– Advertisements
– Salespeople
– Friends and family members
– Reviews
– Product labels
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Being a smart shopper

3. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
Advertisements are messages used to inform,
persuade and influence consumers to buy a
particular product or service.
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Advertisements
Advantages
• Provides general
information about
the product
• Highlights the
features of the
product
Disadvantage
• Information may
be biased as only
good points are
mentioned

4. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
Salespeople in the stores can offer information on
the products or services that they are promoting.
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Salespeople
Advantages
• Have good
technical
information about
the product
• Can demonstrate
how to use the
product
Disadvantages
• May promote the
product merely to
earn the sales
commission
• May not mention
the
disadvantages of
the product

5. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
Friends and family members who have used the
product or tried out the service before can give us
advice and recommendations.
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Friends and family members
Advantage
• Provide advice
that suit our
preferences
better as they
understand us
Disadvantage
• May have
limited
information
about a product
or service

6. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
Reviews written by others who have tried out the
goods and services can help us come to a
decision about our purchase.
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Reviews
Advantages
• Provide a base to
compare
different brands
• Highlight the
features of the
product
• Describe the
experience of
using the product
Disadvantage
• May be biased

7. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
Product labels on the packaging of products carry
information such as the features or nutritional
information of products.
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Product labels
Advantages
• Provide detailed
information about
the product such
as ingredients
and instructions
• Highlight the
features of the
product
Disadvantage
• Information may
be biased as it
only mentions the
good points

8. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
• Product labels provide consumers with
basic and useful information about the
products
• Different types of product labels include:
– Food labels
– Clothing care labels
– Electronic product labels
– Award labels
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Product labels

9. Chapter 2
Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
Food labels can help us make informed food
choices by providing various information.
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Food labels
Use by/ Expiry/
Best before date
Date by which the
food item should
be consumed
Nutritional claims
Claims made by
manufacturers to
influence
consumers’ choices
Brand
Identifying name
or mark of the
manufacturer
Type of food
Name and
description of
the food item
Award label
A label given when
the food item has met
certain standards set
by the awarding body

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Food labels
Name and address
of manufacturer
and/or importer
Name and address
of the company
that produced
and/or imported
the food item
Net weight
Weight of the
food item without
its packaging
Nutritional
information panel
List of the amount
of energy and
nutrients the food
item contains
Ingredients
List of substances
used to make the
food item
Country of origin
Place where the
food item was
produced

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Interpreting nutritional claims
These are some common nutritional claims we see on
food products:
Nutritional
claim
What it means Examples
Free/zero Having so little that it is of no
significance to the body
Fat-free salad
dressing
Low Having a little Low-fat
yoghurt
Reduced/low
er
Having a lower percentage
(25% less) of a nutrient than a
comparable food
Reduced-
sugar drink

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Interpreting nutritional claims
Nutritional
claim
What it means Examples
Light (Lite) Having less calories Light tuna flakes
Enriched Having nutrients which are
lost during production added
to food
Bread enriched
with Vitamin B
Fortified Having nutrients added to
increase the food’s nutritional
value
Milk fortified with
calcium
High in /rich in With greater percentage
than in the usual version
High-calcium
cheese

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Clothing care labels
Clothing care labels provide information on how to
maintain your clothes so that they can last longer.
1 Brand name
2 Amount and
type of material
3 Size of clothing
4 Care symbols
5 Country of
manufacture

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Food Presentation
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Smart Shopping
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Clothing care labels
Below are some care symbols that can be found on
clothing care labels:

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Electronic product labels
Electronic product labels provide information on a
product’s technical aspects.
An example of a product label of a flash drive:
Package contents:
8GB flash drive with metal
casing
Features:
• Hardware encryption
• Password protection
• No software
installation required
• 5-year warranty
Made in Singapore
Operating system
requirements:
• Windows XP/Vista/7/8,
Mac OS 9 or higher,
Linux 2.4 or higher
• High speed USB 2.0 or
1.1 interface
Compatibility:
• USB 2.0
• USB 3.0
Package contents
Features
Country of
manufacture
Operating
system
requirements
Compatibility
Model
number

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Award labels
• Award labels are issued by relevant
organisations to show that a product has
met and complied with certain
requirements and standards.
• Consumers can use them as a guide
when choosing certain products.

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Award labels
Healthier Choice Symbol
• Awarded by: Health Promotion Board (HPB)
• Certifies that: food products are lower in
total fats, saturated fats, sodium or sugar, or
higher in dietary fibre or calcium
• Found on: food products

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Food Presentation
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Smart Shopping
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Award labels
Halal Certification Mark
• Awarded by: Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)
• Certifies that: food is halal and can be consumed
by Muslims
• Found on: food products and food outlets

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Smart Shopping
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Award labels
Energy Label
• Awarded by: National Environment Agency (NEA)
• Indicates: energy efficiency of electronic
products. More ticks indicate higher energy
efficiency
• Found on: electronic products

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Food Presentation
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Smart Shopping
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Award labels
Water-efficiency Label
• Awarded by: PUB, the national water agency
• Indicates: water efficiency of products. More
ticks indicate higher water efficiency
• Found on: products such as washing machines,
urinals, showerheads and taps

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Food Presentation
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Smart Shopping
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Award labels
Green Label
• Awarded by: Singapore Environment Council (SEC)
• Certifies that: products are environmentally-
preferred and meet eco standards
• Found on: products such as energy-saving light
bulbs, biodegradable laundry detergents

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Food Presentation
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Smart Shopping
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Award labels
SAFETY Mark
• Awarded by: SPRING Singapore
• Certifies that: products have met the safety
requirements set by SPRING Singapore
• Found on: electrical, electronic and gas appliances
such as washing machines and 3-pin plugs

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Comparing products
Price
Similar products may be sold at
different prices. This is due to:
1. Brand – some supermarkets have
their own ‘house brand’ items
which cost less. Branded items
cost much more.
2. Location – the prices of some
products may be higher in city
areas compared to
neighbourhood areas

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Comparing products
Quality
• A product of better quality is more reliable
and able to last longer
• We can look out for award labels that
indicate that a product has met certain
standards
• We can also gather information from people
who have used the product before

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Comparing products
Quantity
• Some products are cheaper when
we buy them in bulk, e.g. drinks,
eggs, stationery
Features
• There may be some specific features
that we need from a product
• We can compare the features of
different products to find one most
suited to our needs

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Comparing products
Packaging
• Some products have more interesting and
attractive packaging compared to other
products in order to attract consumers
• These specially designed products may
cost more than a regular box
• Example: products that are specially
designed for Christmas

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Different forms of shopping
Shopping at retail stores
Retail stores are physical shops that we can walk into,
browse items and try them out before purchase.
Advantages
• Can see and feel the
actual products
• Can try on clothing and
accessories
• Can test functionality of
electronic appliances
• Can use products
immediately after
purchase
Disadvantages
• Need to visit the store in
person to buy the
products
• Can only shop when
the store is open for
business

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Food Presentation
Chapter 6
Smart Shopping
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Different forms of shopping
Online shopping
A form of shopping where consumers make
purchases online from shopping websites.
Advantages
• Can shop anywhere at
any time
• Products delivered to your
home
• Saves time as there’s no
need to travel to stores
• Can buy products which
are not sold in local retail
shops
Disadvantages
• Actual product may differ
• Shipping and handling fees
• Personal information and
credit/debit card numbers
could be stolen and misused
• Companies may be unreliable
• May cost extra to return
unsatisfactory goods
• Payment by credit card may
encourage overspending

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Food Presentation
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Smart Shopping
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Different forms of shopping
Catalogue shopping
Catalogues contain pictures, details and prices of
items for sale. We can order the products listed on
them which are then delivered to our homes.
Advantages
• Can order by calling or
sending in mail order
• Products delivered to your
home
• Saves time as there’s no
need to travel to stores
• Can order products hours
or days in advance
Disadvantages
• Actual product may differ
• Shipping and handling
fees
• Companies may be
unreliable