Debated in Parliament on 3 Oct 2022.
Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Health in light of the Ministry’s announcement to introduce Nutri-Grade mark for outlets selling freshly prepared drinks by the end of 2023 (a) when will the Ministry provide greater clarity on how the sugar and fat levels of drinks will be measured across local coffee shops and hawker centres; and (b) whether the Government will give support to these stallholders to assist them in promoting healthier drink options.
The Ministry of Health/Health Promotion Board (MOH/HPB) will implement the mandatory labelling in a practical way. For example, instead of using laboratory analysis, establishments may refer to nutrient databases to estimate the sugar and saturated fat content from the amount of individual ingredients added into the beverage. We will provide further industry guidance later this year, ahead of implementation of mandatory labelling by end 2023.
MOH/HPB will also apply measures to only larger establishments and exempt smaller establishments at the start. We will review this concession over time and adjust as appropriate.
We encourage F&B establishments to come on board HPB's Healthier Dining Programme, which provides product development and commercialisation support to develop healthier food and drink products.
PAPERCUTS