Nutrition13 min read · Updated
Reading Food Labels: Healthier Choice Symbol and Nutri-Grade
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The short answer
Compare products on the per 100 g (or per 100 ml) column of the nutrition information panel, not per serving.
- The Healthier Choice Symbol means a product beat similar products on a named criterion, such as at least 25% less sugar or sodium, not that it is healthy on its own.
- Nutri-Grade grades drinks A to D by sugar and saturated fat per 100 ml.
- On 26 October 2026 it applies only to drinks, and HPB says the extension to salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil takes effect in 2028.
Written by the Fit Titans coaching team. Edited by Theon. How we write guides
On this page (12)
- 1. How do you read a food label in Singapore?
- 2. What does the Healthier Choice Symbol certify?
- 3. What does the Healthier Choice Symbol not tell you?
- 4. What do Nutri-Grade A, B, C and D mean?
- 5. Which products carry Nutri-Grade now, and what changes in 2028?
- 6. How do you read the nutrition information panel?
- 7. How do you compare two products?
- 8. How do you turn sugar grams into teaspoons?
- 9. How much sugar, salt and saturated fat is too much a day?
- 10. What do low fat, no added sugar and light legally mean?
- 11. What is a 60-second supermarket checklist?
- 12. When should you get personal advice, and where does a coach fit in?
Key facts
- More than 4,000 products in over 100 food categories carry HPB's Healthier Choice Symbol (HealthHub, reviewed 7 Sep 2026).
- HPB says the symbol endorses the relatively healthier options within a category and does not endorse any food on its own as healthy (25 Jun 2025).
- Nutri-Grade A means 1 g of sugar or less and 0.7 g of saturated fat or less per 100 ml, with no sweetener. D means more than 10 g sugar or more than 2.8 g saturated fat.
- Nutri-Grade labels have been mandatory on C and D prepacked drinks since 30 Dec 2022 and on freshly prepared drinks since 30 Dec 2023 (HPB).
How do you read a food label in Singapore?
Use the logos to shortlist and the numbers to decide. A Singapore pack can carry three things worth reading: HPB's Healthier Choice Symbol on the front, a Nutri-Grade mark on drinks (required on grades C and D), and the nutrition information panel on the back or side.
The logos tell you how a product compares with its own shelf. The panel lets you compare any two products directly, as long as you use the per 100 g or per 100 ml column. The ingredients list, which SFA's labelling guide requires in descending order of weight, tells you what the product is mostly made of.
One catch: not every product has to carry a nutrition panel. Under the Food Regulations, as summarised in HPB's guide to nutrition labelling, a panel is required only on Nutri-Grade drinks, special purpose foods, edible fats and oils, and products that make a nutrition or health claim. HPB strongly encourages it everywhere else, but a pack without one cannot be compared on numbers.
What does the Healthier Choice Symbol certify?
That a product beat similar products in the same category on at least one named nutrient. According to HealthHub's Healthier Choice Symbol page, more than 4,000 products across over 100 categories, from convenience meals and sauces to drinks, snacks and breakfast cereals, carry the symbol.
The criteria differ by category, and each symbol carries a tagline naming what it was awarded for. HealthHub counts 34 taglines in all. The common ones:
| Tagline | What the product must meet |
|---|---|
| Lower in Sugar | At least 25% less sugar than similar products in its category |
| Lower in Sodium | At least 25% less sodium than similar products |
| Lower in Saturated Fat | At least 25% less saturated fat than similar products |
| Higher in Wholegrains | At least 20% more wholegrains than similar products |
| Higher in Calcium | At least 25% more calcium than similar products |
| Sugar Free | 0.5 g of sugars or less per 100 g or 100 ml |
| No Added Sugar | No free sugars or ingredients containing free sugars added in processing |
| Low Glycemic Index | A GI value of 55 or less |
| Less than 100 calories | Crisps or chips at 100 kcal or less per individual pack |
| Less than 200 calories | Ice cream lower in sugar than similar products, at 200 kcal or less per portion |
For drinks, HealthHub's Nutri-Grade page says healthier choice drinks are Nutri-Grade A or B. HPB gives malted drinks as an example: those with the symbol contain no more than 5% sugar when made as directed, about 25% less than regular malted and chocolate drinks.
The criteria are reviewed over time. In a 2021 parliamentary reply, MOH said the sugar criteria for foods such as ice cream and yoghurt were lowered on 30 April 2020, and that the symbol's market share rose from 18% in 2016 to 28% in 2020.
What does the Healthier Choice Symbol not tell you?
- 01That the food is healthy on its ownHPB said in a June 2025 statement that the symbol endorses the relatively healthier options within a category and does not endorse any food on its own as healthy.
- 02How it compares with a different kind of foodA lower-sugar chocolate is lower in sugar than other chocolate. HealthHub lists chocolate confectionery among its lower-sugar examples. It has not been compared with fruit.
- 03Anything beyond its taglineA Lower in Sodium sauce met the sodium criterion. The tagline says nothing about its sugar, so check the panel for the nutrient you care about.
- 04How much to eatHealthHub reminds shoppers that any food eaten in excess can cause weight gain, symbol or not.
- 05Whether it suits a medical dietKidney disease, diabetes and heart conditions can call for limits a supermarket logo is not designed to show.
What do Nutri-Grade A, B, C and D mean?
Nutri-Grade grades drinks by sugar and saturated fat per 100 ml. Each nutrient gets its own grade and the drink takes the poorer one, so a drink that is B for sugar and C for saturated fat is graded C. The mark also states the sugar level as a percentage. The thresholds and HealthHub's kopitiam examples:
See the full table
| Grade | Sugar per 100 ml | Saturated fat per 100 ml | HealthHub's examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 g or less, and no sweetener | 0.7 g or less | Kopi or teh O kosong. Bubble tea at 0% sugar with no milk or toppings |
| B | More than 1 g, up to 5 g | More than 0.7 g, up to 1.2 g | Kopi or teh siu dai. Malted drink siu dai. Bubble tea at 30-50% sugar, no milk or toppings |
| C | More than 5 g, up to 10 g | More than 1.2 g, up to 2.8 g | Standard kopi or teh. Malted drink. Bubble tea at 70% sugar, no milk or toppings |
| D | More than 10 g | More than 2.8 g | Kopi or teh ga dai. Malted drink dinosaur. Bubble tea at 100% sugar with milk and toppings |
Two results surprise people. Full-fat dairy drinks are graded C or D for their saturated fat, even with little sugar. And some fruit juices sold as no added sugar are graded C or D because of the sugar naturally in the fruit.
HealthHub adds that some C and D drinks still have a place in moderation, such as full cream milk for children aged 1 to 2 and 100% juice for older people who cannot chew whole fruit. Nutri-Grade also requires the sugar in toppings such as pearls, jellies and whipped cream to be shown on menus.
Which products carry Nutri-Grade now, and what changes in 2028?
On 26 October 2026 Nutri-Grade covers drinks only. HPB's Nutri-Grade page (updated 3 October 2026) sets out what is in force: C and D drinks must show the mark on the front of the pack or beside the menu listing, A and B labelling is optional, and advertising for D drinks is banned across media, with narrow exceptions such as point-of-sale displays for prepacked D drinks in variety shops.
Smaller businesses selling freshly prepared drinks are exempt from labelling if they earned no more than S$1 million in their latest financial year and sell at fewer than 10 premises, according to HealthHub.
| Products | Status on 26 Oct 2026 | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Prepacked drinks and non-customisable dispenser drinks | In force: C and D must be labelled, D advertising banned | Since 30 Dec 2022 |
| Freshly prepared and customisable dispensed drinks, such as kopi and bubble tea | In force, with the small-business exemption | Since 30 Dec 2023 |
| Prepacked salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil, in 23 sub-categories | Announced, not in force. Thresholds subject to WTO consultation and pending gazettal | 2028 (first announced for mid-2027) |
MOH announced the extension on 6 April 2025: C and D products in the 23 sub-categories sold in retail, including supermarkets, online platforms and vending machines, will carry the mark. A and B labelling will be optional. D advertising will be banned. And an updated mark will name the nutrient that set the grade, a change MOH said will apply to drinks too.
HPB has since moved the start to 2028 to refine the rules and review categories such as all-in-one sauces. The latest survey shows why sodium is the target: in the National Nutrition Survey 2025, average intake rose to 4,000 mg a day and 95% of residents were over the 2,000 mg limit.
Until 2028, read the sodium line on sauces and instant noodles yourself. If you are watching your blood pressure, exercise for high blood pressure covers the training side.
How do you read the nutrition information panel?
HPB's labelling page lists what a panel must declare: energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and any nutrient a claim is made about. HPB's recommended panel adds saturated fat, cholesterol, total sugar, dietary fibre and sodium. Values can be given per 100 g (or 100 ml), per serving, or both, and a per-serving panel must also state the serving size and the number of servings in the pack.
Energy, cholesterol and sodium are rounded to whole numbers and the rest to one decimal place. Sugars naturally in milk, lactose and galactose, are listed under total sugar, so plain milk shows sugar on its panel that nobody added.
The per-serving column is where people get caught. HealthHub's label guide uses a packet of potato chips: 160 kcal per 30 g serving looks modest, but the packet holds ten servings, so eating all of it is 1,600 kcal. Manufacturers set the serving size, and it is often smaller than what you actually eat.
How do you compare two products?
- 01Compare like with likeBread against bread, yoghurt against yoghurt, the same way the Healthier Choice Symbol does.
- 02Use the per 100 g or per 100 ml columnHealthHub's advice, because serving sizes differ between brands. Use the per-serving figure only to see what one portion gives you.
- 03Read the nutrient that matters to youHealthHub suggests energy if you are losing weight, sodium if you have high blood pressure, and saturated fat and cholesterol if your cholesterol is high. If you are managing blood sugar, total sugar and carbohydrate are the lines to check. Exercise for prediabetes covers the rest of that plan.
- 04Read the first few ingredientsThey are listed by weight, heaviest first. HealthHub warns that sugar can appear as maltose or fructose and salt as sodium chloride.
- 05Check the servings per packMultiply before you decide a snack is small.
How do you turn sugar grams into teaspoons?
Divide by 5. HPB's own figures use about 5 g per teaspoon: MOH describes the daily limit as about 50 g or 10 teaspoons, and HealthHub gives 5 teaspoons as 25 g.
Applied to Nutri-Grade, the boundary between B and C is 5 g per 100 ml, so a 250 ml packet right at that line holds 12.5 g, about two and a half teaspoons. A D drink, above 10 g per 100 ml, puts more than 25 g in the same 250 ml packet: more than five teaspoons, or over half the daily limit in one drink.
How much sugar, salt and saturated fat is too much a day?
Singapore's limits come from HPB and sit close to the WHO healthy diet guidance. The table sets them beside what residents actually ate in the National Nutrition Survey 2025, as reported by MOH on 3 October 2026.
| Nutrient | Singapore limit | WHO | Singapore average, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | No more than 10% of daily energy, about 50 g or 10 teaspoons. HealthHub says 5 teaspoons (25 g) brings further benefit | Free sugars under 10% of energy. 5% or less for further benefit | 48 g a day, down from 60 g in 2018. 79% within the limit |
| Sodium | 2,000 mg a day, about one teaspoon of salt | Under 5 g of salt (2 g of sodium) a day | 4,000 mg a day, up from 3,480 mg in 2019. 95% over the limit |
| Saturated fat | No more than 30% of total fat, as MOH states it | No more than 10% of total energy | 35% of total fat |
| Total fat | No limit given in MOH's 2025 release | 30% or less of total energy | 103 g a day, up from 94 g in 2019 |
Labels give sodium in milligrams, not salt. Since HPB treats 2,000 mg of sodium as about 5 g of salt, multiply the sodium figure by 2.5 to get salt. MOH names salt, sauces and seasonings among the key contributors of sodium, and the hawker eating guide shows how to order around the sauces at a stall.
What do low fat, no added sugar and light legally mean?
They have fixed definitions. SFA allows nutrition claims only when they meet the Food Regulations and HPB's nutrient claim guidelines, which HPB's August 2024 labelling guide sets out. In those rules, light or lite means the same as low: light in fat has to meet the low fat test. The common claims:
| Claim on the pack | What the product must meet |
|---|---|
| Fat free | 0.15 g of fat or less per 100 g or 100 ml |
| Low fat, light in fat | 3 g of fat or less per 100 g, or 1.5 g or less per 100 ml |
| Reduced fat | At least 25% less fat than the reference food |
| A percentage fat free, such as 90% fat free | Misleading unless the product also qualifies as fat free or low fat |
| Low in saturated fat | 1.5 g or less per 100 g (0.75 g per 100 ml), and 10% or less of energy from saturated fat |
| Sugar free | 0.5 g of sugars or less per 100 g or 100 ml |
| Low sugar, light in sugar | 5 g of sugars or less per 100 g, or 2.5 g or less per 100 ml |
| Reduced sugar | At least 25% less sugar than the reference food |
| No added sugar | No free sugars or ingredients containing them, including honey, malt and malt extract, added in processing. Sugar alcohols and sweeteners are allowed |
| Unsweetened | No added free sugars, sweeteners or sugar alcohols |
| Sodium free, salt free | 5 mg of sodium or less per 100 g |
| Low sodium, lightly salted | 120 mg of sodium or less per 100 g |
| Very low sodium | 40 mg of sodium or less per 100 g |
| High in fibre | At least 6 g per 100 g, or 4 g per serving, or 3 g per 100 kcal |
| Source of protein | The recommended daily amount gives at least 10 g of protein, and protein is at least 12% of energy (20% for high in protein) |
| Low calorie, light in energy | 8 kcal or less per 100 ml for drinks. 50 kcal or less per 100 g for most foods |
Read claims for what they cover and nothing more. No added sugar is a statement about processing, not a sugar level, which is how a no added sugar juice ends up graded C or D. HealthHub notes that terms like low cholesterol and no added sugar can be misread as cholesterol-free or sugar-free.
What is a 60-second supermarket checklist?
- 01Drinks firstReach for A or B. Kopi or teh O kosong is A. A C or D mark means more than 5 g of sugar or more than 1.2 g of saturated fat per 100 ml.
- 02Shortlist with the Healthier Choice Symbol,And read the tagline to see what it was awarded for.
- 03Turn the pack over and use the per 100 g columnTo compare your shortlist on the one nutrient that matters to you.
- 04On sauces and instant noodles, read the sodium lineNo grade is required until 2028. 120 mg or less per 100 g is the low sodium standard.
- 05Scan the first three ingredientsFor sugar under another name, such as maltose or fructose.
- 06Multiply by the servings per packIf you will eat the whole thing.
- 07For protein, read the protein line per servingHow much you need a day is in how much protein you need, with Singapore foods.
When should you get personal advice, and where does a coach fit in?
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a diet prescription. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or kidney disease, your own limits may differ from the population figures here, so ask your doctor or a dietitian which label lines to watch and what numbers to aim for.
If you notice a change in your health, such as weight loss you cannot explain, see a doctor before changing what you buy.
Label reading is half of eating to lose weight. The other half is a plan you can repeat. Fit Titans matches you with a verified freelance coach who trains you at home, in your condo gym, at a park or at a Gym Pod, with no membership.
Our coaches are not dietitians and we do not sell meal plans, but they build the training and daily habits around how you already eat. How that works for fat loss is on our weight loss page, and if you would rather start on your own, losing weight without a gym covers bodyweight training, daily steps and simple nutrition.
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Food labels questions.
Does Nutri-Grade apply to food in Singapore?
Not yet. On 26 October 2026 Nutri-Grade applies only to drinks. HPB says the extension to prepacked salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil takes effect in 2028, replacing the mid-2027 date announced in April 2025, and its specifications are still pending gazettal.
Does the Healthier Choice Symbol mean a food is healthy?
No. HPB says the symbol marks the relatively healthier options within a food category and does not endorse any food on its own as healthy. Each symbol's tagline tells you which criterion it met, such as at least 25% less sugar than similar products.
Why is a no added sugar juice graded C or D?
Because Nutri-Grade counts the sugar already in the fruit. No added sugar only means none was added in processing, and HealthHub notes that some fruit juices are high enough in natural sugars to be graded C or D.
Why is full cream milk graded C or D?
Nutri-Grade grades saturated fat as well as sugar, and the drink takes the poorer grade. Full-fat dairy drinks are high in saturated fat, so they land in C or D even with little sugar. HealthHub notes full cream milk can still be appropriate for children aged 1 to 2.
How many grams of sugar is one teaspoon?
HPB's figures work out to about 5 g: it describes the daily limit as about 50 g or 10 teaspoons, and 5 teaspoons as 25 g. Divide the grams on a label by 5 to get teaspoons.
Do all packaged foods in Singapore have a nutrition label?
No. HPB's guide says a nutrition information panel is required on Nutri-Grade drinks, special purpose foods, edible fats and oils, and products that make a nutrition or health claim. HPB strongly encourages businesses to include one on everything else.
About this guide
Published
Terms used
- HPB:
- Health Promotion Board, the government agency behind Singapore's public health guidance, including physical activity recommendations and the national effort on diabetes.
Sources
- Healthier Choice Symbol, article reviewed 7 Sep 2026 (read 26 Oct 2026) · HealthHub / Health Promotion Board
- Clarifications by HPB on allegations about HPB's approach to promoting healthier eating, including the Healthier Choice Symbol, 25 Jun 2025 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Health Promotion Board
- Improving effectiveness of the Healthier Choice Symbol and a more robust food health rating system, PQ reply 5 Jul 2021 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Ministry of Health Singapore
- Measures for Nutri-Grade, updated 3 Oct 2026 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Health Promotion Board
- Nutri-Grade mark (read 26 Oct 2026) · HealthHub / Health Promotion Board
- Nutri-Grade requirements for key sources of sodium and saturated fat intake to take effect from mid-2027, 6 Apr 2025 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Ministry of Health Singapore
- National health surveys show Singaporeans are embracing healthier lifestyles, with a need to improve our diet quality, 3 Oct 2026 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Ministry of Health Singapore
- Nutrition labelling and claims, updated 23 Sep 2026 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Health Promotion Board
- A guide to nutrition labelling for food products (Singapore), revised Aug 2024 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Health Promotion Board
- A guide to food labelling and advertisements, amended Nov 2025 (read 26 Oct 2026) · Singapore Food Agency
- Read it right: nutrition labels (read 26 Oct 2026) · HealthHub / Ng Teng Fong General Hospital
- Cut the sweet talk: 4 ways to slash sugar from your diet (read 26 Oct 2026) · HealthHub / Health Promotion Board
- Healthy diet fact sheet, 26 Jan 2026 (read 26 Oct 2026) · World Health Organization
General information, not medical advice.
