SSSIO shelf grades: what Nutri-Grade on sauces means from 2028

From 2028, every pre-packed salt, sauce, seasoning, instant noodle and cooking oil product sold in retail settings will carry a Nutri-Grade from A to D. What you will actually see is narrower: only products graded C or D are required to display the mark, on the front of pack and in online listings, and the updated mark will name the nutrient that produced the grade. ^{[1] [2]}

The date has moved. HPB's Measures for Nutri-Grade page, last updated on 3 October 2026, states the extended labelling requirements and advertising prohibitions take effect in 2028, superseding the previously announced mid-2027 timeline. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung gave the reason the same day: the industry needs a sufficiently long transition to reformulate. HPB has published a summary of the specifications, including grading thresholds, as an early reference to support reformulation, while noting that they remain subject to World Trade Organisation consultation and pending gazettal. This article does not reproduce those thresholds. ^{[2] [3]}

What gets printed, and what stays optional

MOH's April 2025 announcement set the scope at all 23 sub-categories of pre-packed salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil sold in retail settings. HPB's page, last updated 3 October 2026, notes that the revised timeline gives MOH and HPB room to refine the requirements and review product categories such as all-in-one sauces, so read the final scope as still open to revision rather than settled. Grades run from A at the lowest to D at the highest amounts of nutrients of concern, with thresholds differentiated for each product sub-category rather than one set across the aisle; MOH says that structure is intended to encourage reformulation within a sub-category while preserving the diversity of these products. ^{[1] [2]}

Two habits carry over from drinks: only C and D products must show the mark, and labelling stays optional for A and B. Two things change. The label will call out the nutrient of concern behind the final grade, whether primary or secondary — sodium or saturated fat are the primary nutrients across these categories, and sugar can be a secondary one — and that updated design will also apply to beverages. Separately, MOH has said the Healthier Choice Symbol criteria will be revised to align with the Nutri-Grade thresholds, so a product in these five categories carrying the symbol will be graded either A or B. ^{[2] [1]}

How to compare two bottles today

Until the marks appear, the shelf has no grades, but it does have a declaration rule worth knowing. HPB's nutrition labelling guidance says Nutrition Information Panel values can be declared per 100g — or per 100mL for liquid food — and/or per serving, and that where nutrients are declared per serving, the panel must state the serving size and the number of servings per package. That one line is what stops a per-serving figure from flattering a bottle. ^[4]

A hypothetical comparison: two soy sauces, one declaring sodium per 100mL and the other per serving with no serving size shown. Under the declaration rule the second panel is incomplete, and comparing the two figures would be comparing different things. Convert to a common basis, then check the Healthier Choice Symbol — the label MOH's published advice points to for ingredients with at least 25 per cent sodium reduction. ^{[4] [5]}

Why these five categories came first

MOH's release of the National Population Health Survey and National Nutrition Survey findings on 3 October 2026 reported average daily sodium intake rising from 3,480mg in 2019 to 4,000mg in 2025, with 95 per cent of residents above the recommended 2,000mg limit, up from 88 per cent in 2019. Saturated fat made up 35 per cent of total fat intake, above the recommended limit of 30 per cent. CNA's reporting on the same release noted the contrast: adults more active and consuming less sugar, while calorie, fat and sodium intake rose. ^{[6] [7]}

The categories follow the nutrient. Among residents with the highest sodium intake, added salt, sauces and seasonings in dishes such as soupy, gravy and sauce-based cooking remained the largest contributor at 60 per cent, with processed foods such as instant noodles second at about 15 per cent of their total sodium intake — figures that describe that group rather than the whole population. Cooking oil is where saturated fat enters the diet, which is why these five product families sit on the same list. ^[6]

One decision to make this week

Direct answer: from 2028, in these five categories sold in retail settings, only C and D grades will be forced to show a Nutri-Grade mark naming the nutrient behind the grade, D products will not be advertised in online or physical spaces, and carrying the Healthier Choice Symbol will mean a Grade A or B product. HPB has published a summary of the specifications with grading thresholds as an early reference, still subject to consultation and gazettal; this article does not state them. ^{[2] [1]}

One action, then. For your next shop, use the Healthier Choice Symbol as the first filter, and for anything without it, read the declared basis and the sodium or saturated fat figure on the panel. HPB's government food policy offers benchmarks in the meantime: lower-sodium salt is salt carrying the symbol or meeting no more than 300mg of sodium per gram of salt, and healthier cooking oils are oils carrying the symbol, or other plant-based oils such as olive, canola, peanut, soybean and sunflower oil, meeting no more than 35g of saturated fat per 100g of fat. The policy states those criteria with November 2023 and July 2023 reference dates, and they are policy criteria, not grade boundaries. ^{[8] [4]}

Read next

• Healthier Choice Symbol and protein per meal: what the pack really says

Sources

1. NUTRI-GRADE REQUIREMENTS FOR KEY SOURCES OF SODIUM AND SATURATED FAT INTAKE TO TAKE EFFECT FROM MID-2027 | Ministry of Health
2. Measures for Nutri-Grade | Health Promotion Board
3. SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND COORDINATING MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICIES, AT THE NATIONAL HEART WEEK – WORLD HEART DAY EVENT, 3 OCTOBER 2026 | Ministry of Health
4. Nutrition labelling and claims | Health Promotion Board
5. NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEYS HIGHLIGHT NEED TO FOCUS ON HEALTHY DIETS AND LIFESTYLES | Ministry of Health
6. NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEYS SHOW SINGAPOREANS ARE EMBRACING HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES, WITH A NEED TO IMPROVE OUR DIET QUALITY | Ministry of Health
7. Singapore adults are getting more active, but eating more calories and salt: MOH, HPB surveys – CNA
8. WOG Healthier Food and Beverage Policy | Health Promotion Board

BUTLER Magazine Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-11. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.