The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) has stated that one of its key focus areas is to encourage Singaporeans to have healthier diet.
The move to implement Nutri-Grade measures to curb sodium and saturated fat intake would – based on the success shown with the Nutri-Grade measures for sugared beverages – likely be effective in achieving its objectives, said Lim Ren Jun, Principal at Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, a law firm with expertise in regulatory compliance.
These measures aim to help consumers make more informed, healthier choices by identifying products that are higher in sodium and saturated fat; spur industry reformulation; and reduce the influence of advertising on consumer preferences.
“This would be welcome from a public health perspective especially with the prospective silver tsunami that Singapore faces in reducing chronic diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, which have been increasing in recent years,” said Lim, who also co-heads the firm’s Healthcare and Consumer Goods & Retail industry groups.
A concerted effort to curb sodium and saturated fat consumption
The specifics of the new Nutri-Grade labelling requirements in respect of sodium and saturated fat have not yet been published, but the penalties for breaching the new Nutri-Grade measures may be similar to what was enforced for sugared beverages.
“Contravention of the present Nutri-Grade labelling requirements in respect of sugared beverages may result in penalties of up to SGD 1,000 for the first conviction, and up to SGD 2,000 for subsequent convictions,” according to Jonathan Teo, associate at Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow.
While the MOH would likely afford businesses time to adjust to the new measures when they are rolled out, surveillance would likely be robust and repeated breaches or lapses on businesses’ part may result in enforcement action.
“On-the-ground surveillance by MOH officers is likely, and there may also be reporting channels for consumers to provide feedback to the MOH,” said Teo.
The MOH has expressed intentions to work with the food industry to nudge consumers towards healthier diets.
“Together with continued efforts to encourage the industry to offer even more healthier product offerings, we will continue to reshape consumer behaviour and choices.
“We will also step up on public education efforts to educate consumers and F&B operators on the importance of reducing sodium in food and strengthening our engagements across the supply chain to increase F&B operators’ access to healthier ingredients,” wrote MOH and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) in a joint statement issued on 22 August 2024.
The HPB operates under the MOH. It was established in 2001 to act as the main driver for national health promotion and disease prevention programmes.
“Worrying trends”
According to the National Nutrition Survey 2022, nine in 10 Singapore residents consumed about 3,620mg sodium a day, which nearly twice exceeded the recommended daily limit of 2,000mg.
Singaporeans are also consuming 36% of saturated fat as a proportion of total fat, which exceeds the recommendation of no more than 30% of total calorie intake.
The key sources of sodium intake among Singapore residents are from salt, sauces, seasonings and instant noodles, and the main source of saturated fat intake is cooking oil.
Despite growth in the availability of healthier salt, sauces, seasonings and cooking oil in the market, adoption among consumers and F&B operators remains low.
There is also a lack of healthier alternatives for instant noodles.
More importantly, excessive intake of sodium and saturated fat are key risk factors for chronic diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidaemia.
Based on past National Population Health Survey (NPHS) results, the prevalence of hypertension had increased from 19.8% in 2010, to 37.0% in 2021 to 2022.
Additionally, the prevalence of hyperlipidaemia remained “worryingly high”, with 31.9% of Singapore residents having the condition in 2021 to 2022.
Industry response
In light of these concerning statistics, the MOH and HPB have engaged over 80 market leaders across the food supply chain on possible measures to reduce the population’s sodium and saturated fat intake. This was done between April and May 2024.
Generally, the industry concurred that more needs to be done to reduce Singaporeans’ sodium and saturated fat intake, according to the MOH-HPB joint statement.
“In the retail sector, many manufacturers have begun their reformulation journey, and are committed to doing more,” said the statement.
With the success of the Nutri-Grade measures on beverages, Lim thinks it is likely the MOH is looking to replicate such success for other food products.
“It may be likely that there is a similar decrease in demand for high sodium and saturated fat food products once the new measures have been rolled out. The prominent labels and increased awareness may encourage consumers to make healthier choices and incentivise manufacturers to create healthier options to meet shifting consumer demands,” said Lim.
However, the local food industry have since voiced concerns about this latest Nutri-Grade labelling development, with some saying that it is not so straightforward.
FoodNavigator-Asia has reached out to the MOH and HPB for comment.
In response, the HPB said: “The key features of the existing Nutri-Grade measures will likely be retained. HPB will be conducting further consultations with the F&B industry over the coming months to carefully consider the implementation details to ensure that the measures are practicable and feasible. More details will be announced when ready.”
