Sugar Content in Formula Milk

Mr Yee Chia Hsing asked the Minister for Health whether the Ministry currently monitors or regulates the amount of sugar in infant and children's formula milk so as to prevent an excessive preference for sweetness in later years.

Based on a recent survey by the Health Promotion Board (HPB), none of the infant formula milk for children from 0 to 12 months contained any added sugar. As for formula milk for children one year and above, two products contained added sugar of around two grammes per 100 millilitre (ml) of milk. Another product, a high-calorie formula for supplemental nutrition, contained seven grammes of added sugar per 100 ml of milk.

HPB recommends that children aged one year and above can take full cream milk, if they are eating and growing well. HPB further recommends that parents planning to give their children high-calorie formula milk as a nutritional supplement should consult their child’s paediatrician or nutritionist.