Can Nutri-Grade repeat its sugar success for salt?

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Nutri-Grade is set to be expanded to salt and sauces, but whether it will repeat its sugar success is not yet proven
Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) plans a campaign in the final quarter of 2026 to normalise asking for less salt and fewer sauces, alongside a plan to extend Nutri-Grade labelling to pre-packed salt and related foods from mid-2027. The approach is modelled on earlier efforts that helped shift beverage choices after Nutri-Grade was introduced in late 2022, with A or B graded pre-packaged drinks rising from 37% in 2017 to 73% in 2024. However, HPB chief executive Tay Choon Hong and industry feedback indicate that achieving the same outcome for sodium is more complex than for sugar, due to fermentation and taste constraints.
A late-2026 campaign is meant to make “less salt” a normal ask
The HPB is gearing up for a major campaign in the final quarter of 2026 to normalise the habit of consumers asking for less salt and fewer sauces. Tay Choon Hong said the long-term aim is that “low sodium” can become the default over time, echoing the “siu dai by default” movement launched in September 2023 for sugar-sweetened beverages.
Nutri-Grade has already shifted beverage choices, earning international recognition
Nutri-Grade, introduced in late 2022, grades drinks A to D based on sugar and saturated fat content, with Grade D drinks facing a total advertising ban. The scheme is credited with a large shift in the market: pre-packaged beverages earning A or B grades rose from 37% in 2017 to 73% in 2024, and Singapore received a 2024 WHO Healthy Cities Recognition Award for the scheme.
From mid-2027, labels will cover salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil
Starting mid-2027, Nutri-Grade labels will appear on pre-packed salt, sauces, seasoning, instant noodles, and cooking oil. This expansion targets sodium intake directly, even as HPB acknowledges that replicating the sugar results is harder for salt because sodium can be structural in foods.
Sodium reduction faces reformulation and quality hurdles that sugar did not
Industry feedback highlighted that drastic salt cuts can affect fermentation, with light soya sauce makers warning that cutting salt too far could compromise the fermentation process and ruin quality. Tay also pointed to taste challenges, saying sauces require rebalancing flavour profiles to remain palatable, and the HPB has adjusted soya sauce thresholds to balance sodium reduction with quality. The urgency is tied to local health data: in 2025, more than one-third of residents had hypertension, and a 2022 national nutrition survey found 90% of people consumed 3,620mg of sodium daily versus a recommended 2,000mg limit, while the HPB aims for a 15% reduction by 2026.

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Can Nutri-Grade repeat its sugar success for salt?

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