Health & Environment

Marimo Lai, a 53-year-old clerk in Hong Kong, sat in the canteen and took out a blood glucose monitor from her bag before having lunch. Since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago, testing her blood sugar level  has become part of her daily routine. The results showed her blood sugar was stable. Marimo has been ordering her food under a personalized meal plan for two years. “Ever since I found this kind of lunch box, it has been much easier to control my blood sugar,” she said. Marimo’s food is from Nutribute, a catering company that claims to provide a balanced diet. A typical meal costs $63 per set and more for special needs such as diabetes and pregnancy. Nutribite has sold 22 million meal boxes in 2024, and sold their products at more than 100 Pacific Coffee shops and Hung Fook Tong shops in Hong Kong, showing more Hongkongers want to embrace a healthier diet with convenience labeled nutritional lunch boxes, said Susan So, the general manager of Nutribite. At present, about 700,000 people in Hong Kong  suffer from diabetes, according to the Hong Kong Diabetes Federation, and it will surge to 920 ,000 by 2030, accounting for 13% of the total population. Terry Ting, 50, is a registered dietitian. “As more people recognize the importance of a balanced diet especially after the pandemic  but lack the  time and money to cook for themselves, the demand for such services will grow,” he said. He thinks these food companies should follow government guidelines in their nutrition labels. Other healthy food delivery platforms in Hong Kong include WeBite, Eatology, Fittery, Nosh and Calfit. WeBite specialises in group meal deliveries to offices and campuses.  “They started to provide this service to Hong Kong Baptist University in November 2024, and …

A typical weekend for Wan Jiachen begins with a 40-minute subway ride through the bustling Futian Port, heading to the Shenzhen Second People's Hospital to get a check-up on his latest dental fillings.  “Dental service in Shenzhen is my first choice,” said Wan. He is a bank worker with a Shanghai household registration (hukou) and a Hong Kong identity card. He now lives in Hong Kong because of his new job. The long journey crossing the border can be exhausting, but Wan said it is worth it.  “In Hong Kong, it has become more difficult to secure an appointment with a public dental clinic, and the price is unaffordable for ordinary wage earners,” he said. In Shenzhen, he pays HK$100 to HK$200 for teeth cleaning, but in Hong Kong it’s around HK$800. Wan is not the only Hong Kong resident traveling north to seek dental treatments. According to Shenzhen government figures, in 2023, Shenzhen provided 700,000 cases of medical treatment for Hong Kong residents. Currently, Hong Kong has only 0.37 dentists per 1,000 people, which falls behind many countries worldwide, according to Lo Chung-Mau, the Secretary for Health of Hong Kong. Limited local public and private healthcare resources is a major issue.  “The service quality and professionalism vary significantly between clinics,” said Daniel Wong, a 57-year-old local Hong Kong resident. “Hong Kong lacks private clinics. Their small scale is also a problem.” Private clinics also tend to be more expensive. According to the clinic’s price list, Nixon Dental at Mongkok charges HK$6,000 for one-time full mouth root planing. For the clinic’s branch in Central, the same service costs even higher at HK$8,000.  According to Hong Kong government statistics, as of December 31, 2023, Hong Kong has 2,876 registered dentists, with around 700 working in the public sector. “The scarcity of …