Nutri-Grade labels soon for salt, sauces, instant noodles and cooking oil

Grades will inform consumers of healthier choices; MOH to consult industry on details

- Joyce Teo

Singaporeans are overindulging in salt, sauces and seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil, which can increase the risk of serious health issues such as heart attack and stroke. So, these products will soon have to display the nutritional grades seen on their sugary counterparts to tell consumers at a glance how healthy these are.

Such products will be graded A to D - with D being the least healthy choice, having the highest levels of sodium and/or saturated fat, among other possible nutrients.

This follows the successful use of the mandatory Nutri-Grade label on pre-packaged and freshly prepared beverages. Drinks that exceed a threshold of sweetness are graded C and D, and there are also prohibitions on advertising such beverages that are grade D.

As a result of the labelling and advertising restrictions, Singaporeans are eating less sugar now.

"Many producers have reformulated their beverages to... suit the newly evolved taste. Labelling, I believe, has shaped the palate of the population with regard to sugar," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a speech at the World Organisation of Family Doctors Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Aug 22.

"So, last year, over two-thirds of pre-packaged beverages in the market were graded A and B, up from less than one-third five years ago."

Welcoming the positive impact of the moves, the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Aug 22 said it will be extending Nutri-Grade labelling and advertising prohibitions to the four product groups pre-packed salt, sauces and seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil the major culprits when it comes to the salt and saturated fat that people consume.

Since healthier alternatives to such ingredients and foods are already available, they should be labelled, said Mr Ong.