Nutri-Grade requirements for key sources of sodium and saturated fat intake to take effect from mid-2027

29 April 2025

On 6 April 2025, the Ministry of Health (“MOH”) announced that it will extend Nutri-Grade labelling requirements and advertising prohibitions to key contributors of sodium and saturated fat intake from the middle of 2027. This follows MOH’s announcement in August 2024 that Nutri-Grade measures will be extended to tackle the high prevalence of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia.

Nutri-Grade measures will be extended to key contributors of sodium (i.e. salt, sauces, seasonings, and instant noodles) and saturated fat intake (i.e. cooking oil) in the retail setting to:

  • help consumers make more informed, healthier choices by identifying products that are higher in sodium and saturated fat;
  • spur industry reformulation of products; and
  • reduce the influence of advertising on consumer preferences.

Key features of extended measures

The Nutri-Grade labelling requirements and advertising prohibitions will apply to all 23 sub-categories of prepacked salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles, and cooking oil (“SSSIO”) sold in retail settings. The key features of the extended measures are set out below:

  • Prepacked SSSIO sold in retail settings must be graded “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D” based on the levels of nutrients of concern within each product, from the lowest (Grade A) to highest (Grade D) amounts of nutrients of concern.
  • Products will be graded based on primary and secondary nutrients of concern. While the primary nutrients of concern across the categories are sodium or saturated fat, products may also contain secondary nutrients that may impact health when taken in excess, such as sugar.
  • Products will be graded based on a differentiated grading system, which defines specific thresholds for each product sub-category. This grading system encourages reformulation within each product sub-category, while preserving the diversity of SSSIO products. It also helps consumers easily identify healthier choices within each sub-category.
  • For products graded “C” or “D”, the Nutri-Grade mark must be displayed on the front-of-pack of product packaging and online listings of products. The labelling of products graded “A” or “B” will be optional. The Healthier Choice Symbol (“HCS”) criteria will be revised to align with the Nutri-Grade grading thresholds, such that all SSSIO products with HCS will be graded either “A” or “B”.
  • The Nutri-Grade mark will be updated to call out the nutrient of concern that results in the product’s final grade, whether it is the primary or secondary nutrient. This will help consumers better understand the basis for the product’s grade, so that they can make more informed choices. The updated mark will also apply to beverages.
  • Advertisements promoting the sale of SSSIO products graded “D” will be prohibited to reduce the influence of advertising of these products on consumer choices. This will apply to online and physical advertising, across traditional and social media channels.

Consultations and support for the industry

In developing these measures, feedback from industry, expert stakeholders, and members of the public was considered to ensure that the measures will be practicable for the industry, while enabling consumers to make more informed choices and shift towards healthier options.

The industry will have sufficient lead time to reformulate their products and adjust to these measures before they come into effect in mid-2027. The grading thresholds have also been set to allow the industry to progressively reformulate
their products towards healthier grades. More details of the Nutri-Grade measures for SSSIO products sold in retail settings are available on the Health Promotion Board (“HPB”) Measures for Nutri-Grade webpage.

MOH and HPB will continue to support the industry to implement the measures through the following:

  • The Healthier Ingredient Development Scheme (HIDS), a grant to support eligible suppliers to develop, reformulate, and commercialise healthier ingredients.
  • Guidance materials to help the industry understand the requirements to facilitate implementation, as was done for Nutri-Grade for beverages.
  • Multi-year public education campaigns to raise consumer awareness of the need to lower sodium intake, promotional activities to encourage demand for lower-sodium products, and efforts to educate consumers on Nutri-Grade labels.

MOH and HPB will consult the public and industry on the draft provisions in the regulations in due course.

Reference materials

The press release is available on the MOH website www.moh.gov.sg.