Reduce sugar! Singapore's freshly mixed "Happy Water" also needs to be graded and freshly mixed | Beverages | Singapore
Singapore, August 18th (Xinhua) - Drinking a cup of freshly squeezed fruit juice can cool down and relieve the heat, but the amount of sugar consumed is unknown. Starting from December 30th this year, freshly squeezed fruit juice, bubble tea and other ready to drink beverages sold in designated locations in Singapore must be labeled with nutritional grade labels based on their sugar and saturated fat content for consumer reference.
The "traffic light" label will cover freshly mixed drinks
According to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, since December 30, ready mixed drinks sold in designated places in Singapore must be divided into four grades: A, B, C or D according to the proportion of sugar and saturated fat. The Singapore Ministry of Health says that nutrition level labels can help consumers better identify beverages with lower sugar and saturated fat content when choosing ready to drink beverages.
This means that Singapore's current beverage nutrition grading measures will be further expanded. Starting from December 30, 2022, the Singaporean government will require packaged beverages to be labeled with nutrition levels similar to traffic lights.
The label contains four nutritional levels A, B, C, and D, with decreasing health status. A-level is the healthiest, labeled as dark green; D-level is the least healthy, with a red label; The B-level and C-level labels are light green and orange, respectively.
This is a beverage with a nutritional grade label taken at a supermarket in Singapore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gui
According to regulations, beverages with sugar content between 5 and 10 grams and saturated fat content between 1.2 and 2.8 grams per 100 milliliters are classified as Grade C. Beverages with sugar content exceeding 10 grams and saturated fat content above 2.8 grams are classified as Grade D. Beverages classified as C or D must display a nutrition level label on the front of the packaging, and D-grade sugary drinks are not allowed to be advertised. For healthier A-grade and B-grade beverages, merchants can choose whether to print nutritional grade labels or not.
In addition, all beverage packaging must include nutritional information, including sugar content, calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, etc.
More than half of daily sugar intake comes from beverages
The reporter saw at a supermarket in Singapore that most bottled or boxed beverages, including fruit juice and milk, have nutritional grade labels prominently displayed.
Several interviewees said that the nutrition level labels on the packaging have strong guiding significance, and fully understanding these labels can help consumers choose beverages with lower sugar content.
This is a beverage with a nutritional grade label taken at a supermarket in Singapore. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Gui
Singapore's Minister of Health, Wang Yikang, stated at an academic conference in August last year that the 2018-2019 National Nutrition Survey found that Singaporeans consumed an average of 12 teaspoons of sugar per day. The World Health Organization calls on countries to take action to minimize individual sugar intake, as "from a nutritional perspective, sugar is not needed in a person's diet.".
Wang Yikang said that more than half of the sugar consumed by Singaporeans every day comes from beverages, so the Ministry of Health has introduced a method of labeling packaged beverages with nutritional grade labels. The nutrition level label may sound neutral, but in fact, it is hoping that consumers can avoid choosing high sugar drinks.
Excessive sugar intake can lead to diabetes. According to the data of the Ministry of Health of Singapore, if not controlled, the number of diabetes patients in Singapore could reach 1 million by 2050. Currently, Singapore has a population of approximately 6 million.
Singapore declared war on diabetes in 2016. According to the National Population Health Survey, the crude prevalence of diabetes in Singapore will slightly decrease from 8.8% in 2017 to 8.5% in 2022.;