[PARTIALLY TRUE] Does Fairwood provide monthly meal subsidies of HK$300 to seniors?

Screenshot of the Facebook post.

The Claim and Our Verdict

• The claim: A Facebook post published May 3, 2021, claims that Fairwood provides monthly meal subsidies of HK$300 to seniors.
• Fact-checking:
  • According to Fairwood’s annual results, announced for the years 2016–2017 and 2020–2021, since the introduction of “Care for Seniors” campaign in 2014, local residents aged 65 years old or above can apply for a “Care for Seniors” card and enjoy a discount when dining at a Fairwood restaurant.
  • According to the terms and conditions of the “Care for Seniors” card, cardholders are entitled to a subsidy of HK$3 per meal at Fairwood, with a monthly cap of HK$300. In other words, an average of 100 meals must be consumed each month to exhaust the HK$300 subsidy. Therefore, the statement “monthly meal subsidies of HK$300 for seniors” may mislead people to believe that the HK$300 subsidy can be used in a one-off manner without any limitation.
  • HKBU FactCheck Service contacted Fairwood customer service on July 26, 2021. The staff responded to our enquiry that the “Care for Seniors” card policy is still effective.
• Our ruling: Therefore, we rate the claim as PARTIALLY TRUE.

News Brief

A Facebook post published May 3, 2021, claims Fairwood provides a monthly meal subsidy of HK$300 to seniors. The post translates as, “Until now I did not know that Fairwood has been providing HK$300 subsidies to seniors.”

As of the issuance of this report, the post had been shared 66 times, and had received 106 comments and 224 likes or reactions.

Fairwood is one of the leading fast-food chains in Hong Kong, established in 1972. It currently has over 140 outlets across Hong Kong and mainland China.

Fact-checking

A keyword search found the 2016-2017 annual results announcement in the financial results announcement section of Fairwood’s official website. It claims, “since the introduction of the ‘Care for Seniors’ campaign back in 2014, we have distributed over 60,000 cards to express our appreciation to senior citizens for their contributions to society.” This shows that Fairwood has indeed issued “Care for Seniors” cards to provide meal subsidies to seniors in Hong Kong.

Fairwood’s 2020-2021 annual results announcement states that the group’s business in Hong Kong has been severely hit by COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the company will continue to distribute “Care for Seniors” cards to the seniors.

HKBU FactCheck Service team called Fairwood customer hotline on July 26, 2021 and the staff confirmed that “Care for Seniors” campaign is still effective. Hong Kong residents aged 65 or above holding a Senior Citizen Card can apply for a “Care for Seniors” card at Fairwood branches. “Care for Seniors” cardholders can enjoy a meal subsidy of HK$3 per meal, with a monthly cap of HK$300.

Although the offer exists, the claim does not mention the discount of HK$3 per meal, which may be misleading that the “monthly meal subsidies of HK$300 for seniors provided by Fairwood” is a one-off offer without any limitation.