On 1 April 2021, Singapore notified the WTO of the G/TBT/N/SGP/59 Food Regulations (Amendment) Draft 2021, stating that the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) of Singapore recommended the introduction of a new nutrition labeling scheme for "Nutri-grade beverages" for sale in Singapore from 30 June 2022 onwards. It is mandatory that the "C" or "D" grade beverages under the "Nutri-Grade" grading system identify nutrition labels, and advertisements related to "D" grade beverages are prohibited. The proposed amendments will be published on June 30, 2021 and implemented on June 30, 2022. FoodMate sorted out and analyzed the labeling and advertising requirements of "Nutritional Grade Beverages", hoping to provide guidance on technical regulations for related beverage export enterprises.

1.Revised background

A 2021 local meta-analysis which included studies on Asian populations found that higher consumption of sugary beverages was associated with a 51% higher risk of diabetes, compared to lower consumption. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on countries to take action to reduce individuals’ intake of sugar to as low as possible, stating that “nutritionally, people do not need any sugar in their diet”.

However, Singaporeans are consuming on average twelve teaspoons (or 60g) of sugar daily. More than half of Singaporeans’ daily sugar intake comes from beverages, of which pre-packaged beverages contribute 64 percent. High sugar intake is linked to increased risk of obesity and diabetes. As such, MOH announced on 10 October 2019 its decision to introduce mandatory nutrition labelling and advertising prohibitions for pre-packaged non-alcoholic beverages. The new measures aim to help consumers identify beverages that are higher in sugar and saturated fat and make more informed, healthier choices.

2.Revision main content

Details of the measures, including the design of the Nutri-Grade mark, its underlying grading system and the scope of media channels subject to the advertising regulations, were announced at MOH’s Committee of Supply speech on 5 March 2020. And worked with the HPB and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to amend the Food Code to introduce new requirements for "Nutri-Grade Beverage" for sale in Singapore.

Therefore, Singapore has added the definition, product standards and related scope of "Nutri-Grade beverages" in the "Food Regulations". Under the new regulatory framework requirements, all pre-packaged beverages will carry color-coded nutrition labels.Called "Nutri-Grade". The scope of "Nutri-Grade beverages" covered by pre-packaged sugary sweetened beverages (SSB) will include but not limited to Asian beverages, soft drinks, malt beverages, fruit drinks and juices, fermented milk/yogurt beverages and 3-in-1 or 2-in-1 Instant beverages also involve freshly prepared beverages, such as plant beverages and teabags,"Nutri-Grade Beverage" will be classified as "A", "B", "C" or "D" according to the nutritional grade grading system, and the specific grades will be graded according to the following requirements:

1) The sugar content grade is determined according to the following table:

2) The saturated fat content grade is determined according to the following table:


Pre-packaged beverages will be graded according to their nutritional thresholds based on their sugar and saturated fat content. For example, beverages with a sugar content of more than 5% will be classified as "C", and beverages with a sugar content of more than 10% will be classified as "D". If the drink contains a lot of saturated fat, it may also be downgraded to Class D.

“Nutri-Grade beverages” will have to carry a nutrition information panel, stating the energy content and the amount of carbohydrate, total sugar, fat, saturated fat and protein. Except for products that do not contain carbohydrates or fats, "Nutri-Grade Beverages" shall indicate the total sugar content and saturated fatty acid ratio as required, and indicate the content of lactose or galactose.“Nutri-Grade beverages” graded “C” or D” must be labelled with a Nutri-Grade mark on the front-of-pack of the package. If the “Nutri-Grade beverage” is sold online, through a vending machine or an automated beverage dispenser, the image of the Nutri-Grade mark must be displayed to the purchaser. In addition to labeling requirements, advertisements for "D" class beverages will be prohibited on all media platforms (including traditional media platforms and new media platforms).
3.Summary

The amendments of the Food Regulations (Amendment) Draft 2021 to the Food Regulations mainly involve the labeling and advertising requirements of "Nutri-Grade Beverages". All the amendments take into account relevant international requirements and Singaporean national health issues. FoodMate reminds relevant export companies to pay close attention to the changes in regulations, and to study Singapore’s labeling and advertising requirements for “Nutri-Grade beverages”, which can be used as high-sugar or high-fat food export control principles to Singapore in the future. FoodMate will also continue to pay attention to the revision of Singapore food-related requirements, and share important information for the industry in a timely manner.

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Business Division of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance of Global Foodmate provides food standards & regulations research, labelling compliance consulting/Chinese label design, industry public opinion monitoring and analysis, registration services (of Infant formula, FSMP, Health food, Novel Food Ingredients, Novel Food Additives, New Varieties of Food-Related Products and Overseas manufacturers of imported food) and other comprehensive food safety solutions for domestic and overseas enterprises and institutions in food industry. 

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