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The crackdown on sugar continues.

From end-2023, the Nutri-Grade labelling requirements and advertising prohibitions will be extended to freshly prepared beverages intended for sale in Singapore.

Previously, you may have seen these labels appearing on your favourite packaged drinks.

They classify drinks from A to D, with D being the unhealthiest, based on their levels of sugar and saturated fat.

Beverages that are rated C and D must carry the Nutri-Grade label.

Those with a D label cannot be advertised on any media platform.

Information on Nutri-Grade beverages must also be available to any person who wishes to view it.

Freshly-prepared beverages，menus must be labelled clearly too

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Feb. 13 that all freshly prepared beverages for sale must comply with these Nutri-Grade requirements by end-2023.

These include:

• freshly brewed coffee or tea
• freshly squeezed juices
• freshly prepared herbal drinks
• smoothies
• bubble tea
• non-dairy substitute drinks (e.g. soya milk)
• beverages dispensed from machines

Hence, you can expect to see your favourite thirst quenchers sporting the nutrition labels in the near future.

This will likely be an incentive for drink sellers to change to healthier recipes for their freshly prepared beverages.

Additionally, physical and online menus, posters, signs and beverage dispensers must also display the Nutri-Grade labels for all drinks intended for sale.

For menus, a simplified Nutri-Grade mark has been developed.

It will be placed next to each beverage listed in the menu.

There is even a sugar declaration mark for beverages with additional toppings, such as bubble tea.

According to MOH, the measures aim to further reduce the population’s sugar intake as freshly prepared beverages are another large and growing source of sugar in Singaporeans’ diets。

Concessions provided at first for smaller businesses

MOH and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) stated that they will initially provide a concession to smaller food businesses that supply or sell freshly prepared Nutri-Grade beverages.

They will need to meet conditions such as earning a revenue of not more than S$1 million in the latest financial year, and selling or supplying those beverages at fewer than 10 food premises.

So, your local kopitiam uncle who solely operates from his stall probably won't have to put a Nutri-Grade label on his Teh-C -- yet.

MOH and HPB acknowledged that such businesses may currently lack the resources to determine the grading of the freshly prepared beverages being sold.

Nevertheless, they will review this concession over time and make the necessary adjustments.

MOH and HPB also added that they will work closely with the industry in the coming months to implement these measures.

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Top image via Unsplash/HPB