Why have those "healthy" drinks become "unhealthy"?, Singapore classifies beverages according to their content | fat | health

Recently, the news of Singapore grading beverages has received a lot of attention. Many netizens were surprised to find that according to Singapore's grading results, some familiar beverages were labeled as representing less healthy "C" or "D", including milk, lactobacillus drinks, as well as various sports drinks and plant-based drinks. What the hell is going on here?

"High sugar" and "high fat" should be informed

Firstly, it is necessary to clarify the standards for beverage classification in Singapore.

After verification, the grading has not only started recently, but will be implemented from December 30, 2022. It is based on the Food Regulations issued by the Singapore government on December 30, 2021. This regulation divides pre packaged beverages in the Singapore retail market into four levels: A, B, C, and D based on their sugar content and saturated fat content. Among them. A. The sugar and saturated fat content in beverages of two levels B are relatively low, while those of levels C and D have relatively high sugar and saturated fat content - beverages with more than 5 grams of sugar and 1.2 grams of saturated fat per 100 milliliters belong to level C, while drinks with more than 10 grams of sugar and 2.8 grams of saturated fat belong to level D.

Classification standards in Singapore's Food Regulations

The reason for grading beverages is that Singapore wants to take action on the sugar intake of its citizens. The regulations specify that for C and D grade beverages with high sugar and fat content, a "Nutri Grade" label must be affixed on the packaging to indicate the grade, while A and B grade beverages do not require additional labeling. Meanwhile, advertising related to D-grade beverages is prohibited.

Singapore "Nutri Grade" label template

The name contains "milk", not necessarily pure milk

Another reason why Singapore's classification of beverages has sparked heated discussions is that some netizens have found that some beverages that are considered "healthy and nutritious" are labeled with "C" or even "D" labels that represent insufficient health, including milk, lactobacillus drinks, and so on. Why is this?

The reporter found that although the named "milk" has the word "milk" in the product name, there is a small text on the packaging labeled as "mixed milk".

"Although modulated milk is' milk ', it is not necessarily' pure milk '." The senior engineer of the State Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Dairy explained that according to Chinese standards, milk can be divided into pasteurized milk, sterilized milk and modulated milk. Among them, pasteurized milk must use 100% raw milk as the raw material; Sterilized milk can use 100% raw milk or reconstituted milk as raw materials; Blended milk must use over 80% of raw milk or reconstituted milk as raw materials. Usually, in addition to milk, blended milk also contains other ingredients.

Beverages containing milk should not be equated with milk. Usually, if the milk protein in a beverage is greater than or equal to 1.0g/100g, or if the protein in a lactobacillus beverage is greater than or equal to 0.7g/100g, it belongs to a milk containing beverage. They do not belong to "milk", and from a nutritional perspective, they are quite different from milk.

Nutrient composition table of a certain brand of milk containing coffee beverage

Nutrient composition table of a certain brand of lactic acid bacteria beverage

So, products with words such as "milk", "milk", and "milk" in their names do not necessarily belong to the category of milk. Looking at the ingredient lists of various formulated milk and milk containing beverages, you may find that they may also contain various food additives such as sugar, aspartame, sodium citrate, and guar gum, and most products have a high sugar content. Taking "milk", which was named by netizens, as an example, the nutritional content table of its domestic retail version shows that the fat content of every 100 grams of product is 2.61 grams, and carbohydrates are 10.0 grams. It is indeed a "high sugar and high fat" product, and excessive consumption is not conducive to health.

Nutrient composition table of a certain "formulated milk" named by netizens

Take a comprehensive view of the nutritional composition table

However, it is not necessarily correct to only drink low sugar, low-fat or sugar free and fat free beverages.

Industry insiders remind that the main purpose of Singapore's regulations is to facilitate consumers to distinguish the sugar and fat content of products from their packaging, and to reduce their intake of sugar and fat. The current implementation of the "Nutri Grade" label can only reflect the sugar and fat content of the product, rather than the overall nutritional status of the product. From the perspective of nutritional balance, consumers cannot and should not completely reject sugar and fat.

"For example, if we only refer to the content of sugar and fat, we will find that pasteurized milk also contains lactose, saturated fat, etc., which is not low. If we follow Singapore's grading standards, it may only be C or even D grade. Can we say that pasteurized milk is not healthy, nutritious, and should not be consumed?" Industry insiders point out that pasteurized milk is an important source of high-quality protein, calcium, and various active substances for the human body. If milk is not consumed because it contains fat, it is equivalent to "choking and giving up". ".

Nutrient composition table of a certain brand of pasteurized milk

Similarly, according to Singapore's classification standards, most of the beverages classified as A-grade are water, sugar free tea drinks, etc. If people only drink such beverages, although they can replenish water, they cannot obtain other nutrients, and it is not a wise choice.

Many times, people need sugar, fat, and other ingredients. For example, netizens have found that many sports drinks in Singapore are labeled as C-grade or D-grade, but the sugars, vitamins, and minerals they contain are important for supplementing carbohydrates and electrolytes after exercise. On the other hand, excessive consumption of such beverages as daily drinking water can also lead to high sugar intake.

Sports drinks can help people replenish carbon water and electrolytes in sports settings

So, it is important to objectively view Singapore's beverage grading regulations, and not be misled by the product names of certain products, resulting in excessive intake of sugar and fat; Don't give up on essential nutrients for the human body just because of choking.