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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).

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.
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.
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:
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:
•
Carry a health or nutrition claim
•
Contain 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:
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:
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:
•
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”.
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:

Note: These resources are supplementary documents to guide the labelling requirements, and are not intended to be relied upon as a source of legal advice.
For further information or queries, you may contact the Health Promotion Board at Health_Nutrition_Claims@hpb.gov.sg.