SINGAPORE — By the end of 2023, food and beverage outlets will be required to include nutrition labels on their menus indicating beverages that contain higher levels of sugar and saturated fat.
These include freshly prepared drinks from coffee shops, freshly squeezed juices, and bubble tea.
“Our latest measures will require outlets selling these beverages to label beverages higher in sugar and saturated fat with the Nutri-Grade brand on their print and electronic menus,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said. Thursday (August 11).
Calling these drinks a “growing source of sugar in Singaporeans’ diets”, Ong said the Health Ministry is working to publish these measures by the middle of next year and have them implemented by the end of 2023.
“The advertising bans will also apply to these freshly prepared beverages with the highest level of sugar and saturated fat content,” said Mr. Ong, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 19th Congress of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.
He added that these measures aim to “help consumers make more informed and healthy decisions, reduce the influence of advertising on consumer preferences and stimulate the reformulation of the industry.”
“While we can’t avoid sugar in sugarcane juices and drinks, we can enjoy coffee, tea, Milo and bubble tea with less sugar content,” he said.
“I hope that more Singaporeans realize that less sugar will enhance the natural flavors of beverages and we may find them even more enjoyable…More importantly, it keeps us healthy and prevents a very scary disease like diabetes.”
In December, the Ministry of Health announced that prepackaged beverages, such as soft drinks, juices and milk, will have to carry the new Nutri-Grade labels by the end of 2022.
The four-tier rating system is based on the sugar and saturated fat content of beverages. It will be color-coded: A (dark green), B (light green), C (orange), and D (red), with A being the category with the lowest thresholds for sugar and fat.
Beverages rated C or D must have their labels on the front of the package, the Health Ministry said. If sold online, or from a shopper-facing vending machine or automatic beverage dispenser, the Nutri-Grade brand image must be displayed in accordance with regulations.
Advertisements are also prohibited for grade D beverages in most cases.
Ong said on Thursday that the measures for pre-packaged beverages have “provoked a very positive response from industry demand and supply” since they were announced.
For example, producers have “significantly reformulated their beverages” before the effective date of the measures for pre-packaged beverages.
“Preliminary data shows that the average sugar level of prepackaged beverages has dropped from 7.1% in 2017 to 4.7% in 2021,” it said.
Sales of prepackaged C or D grade beverages have also fallen from 63% in 2017 to 40% in 2021. Sales of beverages with less than 5% sugar content have increased from 37% to 60% over the same period.
“These changes are as significant as those in the UK, which has implemented a much stricter sugar tax and market regulation,” he said.
“It shows that, in our market, by providing the right information in the right way, our industry and consumers are sophisticated and health-conscious enough to respond positively, and that’s encouraging.
“Encouraged by these developments, the Ministry of Health and HPB (Health Promotion Board) will intensify their efforts to reduce sugar consumption from freshly prepared beverages.” CNA
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