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Nutrition Labelling and Claims
This page
aims to help companies understand the requirements for nutrition labelling for food products,
including those set out by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA)’s Food Regulations.
Food products with health or nutrition claims have to meet additional requirements as stated by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Ministry Of Health (MOH).
Food products with health or nutrition claims have to meet additional requirements as stated by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the Ministry Of Health (MOH).
Overview
All foods sold in Singapore must comply with the Food Regulations and
Sale of Food Act.
To safeguard the health of Singapore residents, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and Ministry of Health (MOH) will oversee food regulations, including food labelling, as well as health and nutrition claims, while the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will continue to ensure that food available for sale in Singapore are safe for consumption.
To safeguard the health of Singapore residents, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and Ministry of Health (MOH) will oversee food regulations, including food labelling, as well as health and nutrition claims, while the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) will continue to ensure that food available for sale in Singapore are safe for consumption.
Labelling and
advertising requirements
All packaged food products for sale in
Singapore must ensure that labels, advertisements and materials that inform sales are in accordance
with the requirements set out in the Food
Regulations.
Please refer to the Industry Guidance Documents section for general guidance on labelling and advertising requirements.
Please refer to the Industry Guidance Documents section for general guidance on labelling and advertising requirements.
Nutrition
labelling
Some key guidelines to note for labels,
advertisements and materials that inform sales in relation to nutrition labelling are as follows:
All food
labels, advertisements and materials that inform sales, cannot contain false or
misleading information about the composition of foods or their ingredients,
(Regulation 9).
Businesses must comply with the following regulations:
Businesses must comply with the following regulations:
A)
The use of
edible fat or oil that contains partially hydrogenated oil is
prohibited and must not be used as an ingredient in the
manufacture of food (Regulation 36A). Learn more about the Ban
on Partially Hydrogenated Oil (PHOs).
B)
The labelling
of certain food products, such as wholegrain or wholemeal bread,
edible fats and oils, margarine, wholegrain foods and special
purpose foods must comply with specified requirements
(Regulations
40A, 53(2), 79, 91, 248).
Information
on the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) helps consumers to compare the
nutrients among foods and can be declared in per 100g (or 100mL for liquid food)
and/or per serving of the product. The declaration
of “serving size” and “servings per package” will be
required when the nutrients are declared on a per serving basis.
Under the Food Regulations, an NIP is required for pre-packaged food products that:
Under the Food Regulations, an NIP is required for pre-packaged food products that:
•
Carry a health or nutrition claim
•
Are edible fats and oils
•
Are Nutri-Grade beverages
•
Are special purpose foods
Where an
NIP is required, the NIP must include the following list of nutrients and
respective amounts, as well as any other nutrients associated with a health or
nutrition claim made (Regulation 8A):
•
Energy value in kcal, kJ or both
•
Amount of Protein, in g
•
Amount of Fat, in g
•
Amount of Carbohydrate, in g
•
Amount of any other nutrient(s)
that are the subject of a health or nutrition claim
Visit here to generate an
NIP
All Nutri-Grade
beverages are required to carry an NIP.
This is in addition to the Nutri-Grade mark for Nutri-Grade C or D
beverages. Learn more about the Nutri-Grade labelling, advertising
prohibitions and generation of a Nutri-Grade mark for your pre-packaged
product
here.
The Healthier Choice Symbol is a voluntary front-of-pack
label for consumers to identify packaged food products that are
healthier compared to other foods in the same category. Learn more
information and application details for the HCS here.
Labelling
and marketing of infants’ food and formula must comply with the
requirements specified within the Food Regulations as well as the Sale
of Infant Food Ethics Committee Singapore (SIFECS) Code of Ethics, which
guide practices of the Infant Food Industry as well as protect and promote the
practice of breastfeeding.
Businesses should note that all labels, advertisements, and materials that inform sales for:
Businesses should note that all labels, advertisements, and materials that inform sales for:
A)
Infant food,
excluding infant formula for ages 0-6 months, must not suggest
that the food is appropriate for infants aged 6 months or
younger (Regulations 251(2A)).
B)
Infant
formula, for ages 0 - 12 months, must not be directly compared
with breast milk and businesses must avoid prohibited matters or
idealised health claims (Regulation 254 (3)).
Health and Nutrition
Claims
To use health and nutrition claims on food products,
businesses can refer to the list of approved claims within HPB’s
Guide to Nutrition Labelling and justify the use of the claims by meeting the criteria
specified.
All claims used on food labels, advertisements, and materials that inform sales, must not be false, misleading or prohibited. Instead, the claims must be verifiable based on scientific evidence.
If the food products fulfil the criteria set out in the list of approved claims, companies are not required to register or submit any supporting documents/laboratory tests prior to using claims on their food products. Post-market surveillance will be conducted by the relevant authorities to ensure that the regulations are complied with.
Please note that unless permitted by Food Regulations 9A or 9B, food products must not include claims or suggestions that imply:
All claims used on food labels, advertisements, and materials that inform sales, must not be false, misleading or prohibited. Instead, the claims must be verifiable based on scientific evidence.
If the food products fulfil the criteria set out in the list of approved claims, companies are not required to register or submit any supporting documents/laboratory tests prior to using claims on their food products. Post-market surveillance will be conducted by the relevant authorities to ensure that the regulations are complied with.
Please note that unless permitted by Food Regulations 9A or 9B, food products must not include claims or suggestions that imply:
A)
The food has therapeutic or
prophylactic action;
B)
The food will prevent, alleviate
or cure any disease or condition affecting the human body; or
C)
An improved physical condition may be
achieved by consuming the food.
Any claim or suggestion that may be interpreted as advice of a medical
nature from any person whatsoever, must also not be included.
Not sure what the difference is
between a health claim and nutrition claim? Here are some examples to help you.
A health
claim states, suggests, or implies that a relationship exists between
consumption of a food product and health.
Examples include:
Examples include:
•
Nutrient
function claims which describe the health effect of a nutrient
in growth, development and normal functions of the
body e.g. “Calcium helps to build strong bones
and teeth”.
•
Other
function claims which describe the health effects of other food
constituents e.g. “Probiotics help in digestion”.
•
Reduction of
disease risk claims which describe the reduced risk of
developing a disease or health-related condition when consuming
a particular food as part of an overall healthy diet e.g.
“A
healthy diet rich in fibre-containing foods such as wholegrains,
fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of
cancers”.
Note: New claims pertaining to reduction of disease
risk, must be gazetted in the Food Regulations, before businesses may use
them on their food products.
A nutrition
claim states, suggests, or implies that a food has a nutritive property. Food
labels containing nutrition claims must be supported by a Nutrition Information
Panel.
Examples include claims like “High in
fibre”, “Low in fat”, “Cholesterol-free” and
“Sugar-free”.
We are now open to submissions for new health claims. If you or your company
intends to submit an application, please refer to the industry guidance to assist you in completing the application form.
Please note that all submissions will be subject to
evaluation by an expert panel before a decision can be made. For any questions
or assistance, feel free to contact us at:
Health_Nutrition_Claims@hpb.gov.sg.
Industry guidance
documents
For detailed specifications of the
labelling and advertising requirements and regulation for food products, please refer to:
For guidance on labelling and advertising of products, please refer to:
For further information or queries, you may contact the Health Promotion Board at Health_Nutrition_Claims@hpb.gov.sg.
For guidance on labelling and advertising of products, please refer to:
- Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore - Guiding principles on ethics of advertising in the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice
- Singapore Food Agency – Labelling & Packaging Information
- A Guide to Nutrition Labelling for Food Products (Singapore)
- HPB Healthier Choice Symbol guidelines
For further information or queries, you may contact the Health Promotion Board at Health_Nutrition_Claims@hpb.gov.sg.
