Nutri-Grade
Get to know your drinks better and
make informed choices easily.
This page serves as a guide for the Nutri-Grade mark. For detailed Nutri-Grade labelling and advertising requirements, please visit the HPB corporate website.
What is Nutri-Grade?
Understanding how much sugar and saturated fat is in your drink can be confusing. Many of us end up having too much without realising it. Saturated fat is often added into drinks to improve their “mouth-feel”. But having too much of both sugar and saturated fat can increase your risk of diabetes1. Too much sugar can also lead to obesity.
That’s why we created a helpful guide: Nutri-Grade.
Nutri-Grade “grades” your drinks based on their sugar and saturated fat levels. Think of this as a combined score. Drinks graded “A” have the lowest sugar and saturated fat content, while drinks graded “D” have the highest.
1 UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Health: Saturated fats and health (2018); Meyer et al. (2001); Riserus, Willet and Hu
Where can you find the Nutri-Grade mark?
The Nutri-Grade mark can be found on both packaged drinks and on menus or menu boards for freshly prepared drinks like kopi, teh, malted drinks, bubble tea, shakes, smoothies and more.
If you want to find out how much sugar is in your drink, simply look out for the sugar percentage indicated on the Nutri-Grade mark!
Spot Nutri-Grade on packaged drinks and on menus
What are the Nutri-Grade guidelines?
Drinks graded Nutri-Grade C and D must display the Nutri-Grade mark on their packaging or on menus and other materials. On the other hand, Nutri-Grade labelling is optional for drinks graded “A” and “B”.
To manage your sugar and saturated fat intake, limit Nutri-Grade C and D drinks and go for healthier choice or Nutri-Grade A or B drinks or simply choose water.
Learn more about the Nutri-Grade guidelines here.
What do the grades “A” to “D” mean?
Click on the grades below to learn about their corresponding range of sugar and saturated fat content and more.
NUTRI-GRADE
Nutri-Grade A
Drinks graded “A” contain minimal sugar, no sweetener and minimal saturated fat content. Make these drinks your first choice whenever possible.
no sweetener
*per 100 ml of the drink
Examples of Nutri-Grade A Drinks
Did you know?
Healthier choice drinks are Nutri-Grade A or B.
Nutri-Grade B
Drinks graded “B” have low levels of sugar and saturated fat. These drinks are good options for you and your family.
*per 100 ml of the drink
Examples of Nutri-Grade B Drinks
Did you know?
Many drink stalls now serve kopi, teh and malted drinks as siu dai by default, and these drinks are graded “B”.
Nutri-Grade C
Drinks graded “C” contain a substantial level of sugar and saturated fat. Limit these drinks whenever possible.
*per 100 ml of the drink
Examples of Nutri-Grade C Drinks
Did you know?
Full-fat dairy drinks are high in saturated fat and graded "C" or "D".
Nutri-Grade D
Drinks graded “D” contain the highest sugar and saturated fat content. Limit these drinks whenever possible.
*per 100 ml of the drink
Examples of Nutri-Grade D Drinks
Did you know?
Some fruit juices can be high in natural sugars and graded “C” or “D”.
Know your toppings better with Nutri-Grade
As part of the Nutri-Grade requirements, the sugar content of toppings such as pearls, jellies, ice-cream and whipped cream have to be included on menus, posters, signs and other materials. This helps you make better choices when deciding on your order.
Did you know?
Milk and toppings add saturated fat and sugar. Limit these when ordering bubble tea.
Example of a bubble tea menu with the Nutri-Grade mark and sugar content of toppings
2For freshly prepared drinks, smaller food businesses are exempted from the mandatory Nutri-Grade C and D labelling if they (a) earn a revenue of not more than S$1 million in the latest financial year, and (b) sell or supply those drinks at fewer than 10 food premises.
Nutri-Grade A and B drinks
Explore these Nutri-Grade A and B drinks from supporting brands to lower your intake of sugar and saturated fat.
F&N
MAGNOLIA Lo-Fat Hi-Calcium Fresh Milk (946ml)
2 for $6.55
(U.P. $3.60 for 1)
Fun Toast
Coffee
$1.90
Mr Bean
Classic Soy Milk with Calcium (250ml)
2 for $3.00
(U.P. $1.90)
Ribena
Original Taste
(6 x 200ml)
$3.80
Sheng Siong
Heritage Farm
3 in 1 Cereal & Oat drink (18 x 30g)
$5.95
Starbucks
Low-fat Caffè Latte (Tall)
$6.80
Yeo’s
First Harvest Green Tea (300ml)
$1.20 (price as at vending machines)
Terms and conditions apply. Check in-store for details.
Supported by:
Quench your curiosity
Got a question about Nutri-Grade? Read on to discover the answers to your common queries.
Nutri-Grade is based on the sugar and saturated fat content of drinks, both of which are linked to a higher risk of diabetes.
Dairy drinks such as full-fat milk are graded "C" or "D" due to their higher saturated fat content. However, full-fat milk is recognised as a good source of other nutrients like protein and calcium. For 1 – 2 year-olds, full-fat milk is necessary to provide adequate fat, protein, vitamins and minerals essential for their growth and development.
On the other hand, while some soft drinks are lower in sugar, they contain little or zero nutrients. It’s better to choose water which is an excellent thirst quencher and contains no sugar or saturated fat.
There are two possible reasons for this:
1. The low-sugar/no-sugar drink is high in saturated fat
Nutri-Grade is based on both sugar and saturated fat content. Drinks may contain little to no sugar, yet still have high levels of saturated fat. If a drink is graded “B” based on sugar content but “C” based on its saturated fat level, the final grade will take the poorer “C” grade.
Illustration of how Nutri-Grade is derived
Tap to enlarge image2. The drink is high in natural sugars
The phrase “no added sugar” implies that no extra sugar was added into the drinks during the manufacturing process. However, some drinks like fruit juices can have high levels of natural sugars (e.g. fructose which is derived from fruits) and as a result, are graded “C” or “D”.
Do note: Certain Nutri-Grade C and D drinks may still be required in moderation for those with specific dietary needs, such as full cream milk for children aged 1 to 2 years, and 100% juice for seniors with difficulty in chewing whole fruit.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Promotion Board (HPB), introduced the following Nutri-Grade guidelines to help consumers make informed and better drink choices.
Nutri-Grade Guidelines:
-
Labelling of Nutri-Grade C and D drinks are mandatory2 (includes packaged and freshly-prepared drinks)
-
Advertising is prohibited for Nutri-Grade D drinks
-
Labelling for Nutri-Grade A and B drinks is optional
-
Nutri-Grade measures will apply to drinks sold across all retail and non-retail settings.
2 For freshly prepared drinks, smaller food businesses are exempted from the mandatory labelling if they (a) earn a revenue of not more than S$1 million in the latest financial year, and (b) sell or supply those drinks at fewer than 10 food premises.
The Nutri-Grade mark is a labelling scheme for drinks and is based on sugar and saturated fat content. The labelling of Nutri-Grade C and D drinks is mandatory and labelling of Nutri-Grade A and B drinks is optional.
The Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) and Healthier Dining Programme (HDP) labels are voluntary and apply for both food and drinks.
Tap to enlarge image
The HCS and HDP guidelines are aligned with the Nutri-Grade grading system. All healthier choice drinks are Nutri-Grade A or B. Drinks that are lower in sugar and saturated fat may carry both the healthier choice identifier and the Nutri-Grade mark, just one of them or neither. Both these initiatives will continue to coexist to help guide consumers in making informed drink choices easily.
For freshly prepared drinks, smaller food businesses are exempted from the mandatory Nutri-Grade C and D labelling if they (a) earn a revenue of not more than S$1 million in the latest financial year, and (b) sell or supply those drinks at fewer than 10 food premises.
For detailed Nutri-Grade labelling and advertising requirements, please visit the HPB corporate website.
