SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Health (MOH) will consider applying the Nutri-Grade labels only for larger establishments at the start, while exempting smaller establishments serving freshly prepared beverages.
"We will implement the measures in a practical way to address concerns by operators," said Dr Chow Wai Leng, the director of epidemiology and disease control in MOH, and Mr Terence Ng, the director of policy and strategy development at the Health Promotion Board, in a letter to The Straits Times Forum page.
"We will not require all establishments to use laboratory analysis to determine the sugar and saturated fat content of their beverages. It is acceptable to grade the beverage by estimating the sugar and saturated fat content from the amount of individual ingredients added into the beverage," the letter wrote.
More details of the measures will be released in the coming months, the letter said.
Outlets selling freshly prepared drinks that have a very high level of sugar and saturated fat content must label them with a Nutri-Grade mark in their menus by the end of next year, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said on Aug 11.
Such beverages include freshly brewed coffee, freshly squeezed juices and bubble tea.
This rule will come after the requirement for pre-packed beverages with higher sugar and saturated fat content to be labelled with a Nutri-Grade mark kicks in from Dec 30.
Calling it a neutral or even nice name, Mr Ong had said on Aug 11 that the message to consumers is to avoid those with a Nutri-Grade mark as that indicates a high level of sugar.
The outlets will also be banned from advertising freshly prepared beverages with the highest level of sugar and saturated fat content.
This is part of the Government's efforts to influence consumers' diet and sugar intake in order to win the war on diabetes. It fits in with the preventive care emphasis in its new healthcare transformation strategy, called Healthier SG.
Drink stall owners and a coffee shop association welcomed the move, but were unsure how the nutritional content will be measured.
Consumers also welcomed the Nutri-Grade label requirement as they said it would help them choose a healthier drink.
