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 most recent measures will require outlets that sell these beverages to label beverages higher in sugar and saturated fat on their print and electronic menus with the Nutri-Grade brand”, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Thursday (Aug 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 pre-packaged beverages such as soft drinks, juices and milk will be required to carry the new Nutri-Grade labels at 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.
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