Drink makers roll out Nutri-Grade label ahead of Dec 30 deadline

They want to ensure drinks are labelled in time; some reformulate healthier options

- Amanda Lee and Lee Li Ying

Several drink manufacturers have changed their recipes to cut sugar and saturated fat, and introduced nutrition labels on their pre-packaged drinks well ahead of the yearend deadline.

From Dec 30, pre-packaged drinks with higher sugar and saturated fat content must be labelled with a Nutri-Grade mark in a scheme announced by the Health Ministry in 2019.

The mark comprises four grades classifying drinks from A to D, with D being the unhealthiest. The products include fruit juices and juice drinks, soft drinks, milk and yogurt drinks, and instant powdered beverages.

Beverages that are rated C and D, the unhealthiest grades, must carry the Nutri-Grade label and those with a D label cannot be advertised on any media platform.

The move to introduce new labelling regulations is part of a national effort to help people keep unhealthy diets in check and prevent diseases such as diabetes.

Checks by The Straits Times show some manufacturers have already rolled out products with the Nutri-Grade label.

On FairPrice's website, 77 of 124 juices under the chilled beverage section are labelled, of which one is graded B, 40 are graded C, and the rest graded D.

Grade B means the drinks have between 1g and 5g of sugar per 100ml, or 0.7g to 1.2g of saturated fat per 100ml.

Those in the C range have between 5g and 10g of sugar per 100ml, or 1.2g to 2.8g of saturated fat per 100ml.