SINGAPORE — In announcing proposed new measures aimed at reducing sugar consumption in Singapore on Thursday (Oct 10), Senior Minister of State for Law and Health Edwin Tong highlighted a “sticky” segment of drinks with a sugar level above 10 per cent. These drinks' sales and availability have not dropped over the years despite various health measures.

As of the end of 2018, this segment of drinks made up 31 per cent of all pre-packaged drink options available in Singapore and represented about a quarter of all sales, according to Health Promotion Board (HPB) figures released on Thursday.

Brands like Coca-Cola or Pokka might seem like the usual suspects, but an informal survey TODAY conducted at a supermarket here found that some drinks with the highest sugar content are in fact products that many consumers might not guess were heavily sugar-laden.

TODAY first zoomed in on the worst offenders, the 1 per cent of drinks on the market that the HPB says have more than seven teaspoons of sugar per 250ml — more than 14 per cent.

They turn out to include juices and probiotic drinks, besides some energy drinks that are already known to be loaded with sugar.

Welch’s 100 per cent Grape Juice is one example. Its label prominently states “no sugar added” but a closer look at the label shows that it comes with 15.2 per cent of sugar given that grapes contain a lot of natural sugar — almost a third more than the sugar in a bottle of Coca-Cola Classic, which is 10.6 per cent sugar.

A 160ml bottle of Meiji Paigen fat-free cultured yoghurt drink contains 15.2 per cent of sugar as well. These amounts run close to the sugar concentration in a can of Red Bull Classic, at 15.8 per cent.

The next band identified by the HPB is drinks with six to seven teaspoons of sugar in a 250ml portion, or 12 to 14 per cent sugar, which constituted 5 per cent of pre-packaged drinks offered in the market.

JUICE PRODUCTS HIGH IN SUGAR

TODAY found that products such as the Del Monte-branded prune juice and cranberry fruit drink, and Bickford’s pomegranate 100 per cent juice, are loaded with 13 to 13.5 per cent of sugar, again thanks to the natural sugar in those fruits.

The sugar content in the red-capped Yakult yoghurt probiotic drink is not spelt out on its packaging or on the Singapore version of its website, but Yakult’s website in the United Kingdom states that it contains 14 per cent of sugar.

The number of products in this second band could be smaller now, as Coca-Cola Singapore told TODAY that two months ago it reduced the sugar content in its A&W Root Beer and Schweppes Bitter Lemon, which previously contained 12.4 per cent and 12.1 per cent of sugar respectively, to 9 per cent.

Besides Coca-Cola Classic, ready-to-drink products in the band just above 10 per cent in sugar concentration, or five teaspoons of sugar per 250ml, include Pepsi (10.6 per cent), Ribena (10.4 per cent), Mocha-flavoured Starbucks Frappuccino chilled coffee drink (11 per cent), Bundaberg Root Beer (11.8 per cent), Marigold 100 per cent Juice Apple Grape (11.9 per cent), Lipton Ice Tea Lemon or Peach (12 per cent), and the Lee brand of pineapple juice with sugar added (12 per cent).

According to HPB, one in four products in the Singapore market fall into this band from 10 to 12 per cent sugar, and they collectively hold a market share of 22 per cent.

At the healthy end of the scale, 31 per cent of drink products contained 6 per cent of sugar or less, representing 42 per cent of sales while 18 per cent of drink products contained 6 to 8 per cent sugar, representing 17 per cent of sales. And 20 per cent of drink products contained 8 to 10 per cent sugar, or 15 per cent of sales.

TODAY approached seven drink manufacturers that pledged back in 2017 to cap the sugar content in their drinks at 12 per cent by 2020.

Six of them responded to TODAY’s queries and said they welcomed the measures, including one that will mandate that some of their least healthy products will eventually be slapped with prominent labels to show how much sugar they contain. Another measure will see products with the poorest grade based on factors including sugar banned from advertising.

SOFT DRINK MAKERS SUPPORT MOVES TO REDUCE SUGAR

A PepsiCo spokesperson said it “fully supports” the efforts to tackle diabetes and said it had made “significant progress” on its portfolio transformation and is “on track” to meet the Government’s goal of reducing sugar content to a maximum of 12 per cent by 2020.

As another round of consultations will be underway to determine the bandings on the new graded, colour-coded labels, he added: “PepsiCo looks forward to further consultation on these measures to ensure they are practical, implementable and that they support the goal of improving public health.”

Coca-Cola Singapore told TODAY that the company “foresees minimal impact” on its portfolio of products with the new regulations, saying that it had already most recently introduced new recipes for Fanta Grape and Heaven & Earth Ice Lemon Tea with more than 50 per cent less sugar, among other changes.

It stated that more than 60 per cent of its drinks portfolio had already been awarded with HPB’s "Healthier Choice" symbol, handed to drinks with no more than 6 per cent or three teaspoons of sugar per 250ml, as a result of its efforts.

“In the future, we will continue to rethink many of our recipes in Singapore to reduce sugar, because while sugar in moderation is fine, we agree that too much of it is not good for anyone,” said the Coca-Cola spokesperson.

Malaysia Dairy Industries, which distributes the Marigold and Vitagen brands, also said that it had already fulfilled its pledge, as it said that only “a few small volume items” remain in the higher sugar range of more than 11g per 100ml, that is 11 per cent.

“We believe that we will not be adversely impacted by the prohibition to advertise,” a company spokesperson said.

A Nestle spokesperson said that all its Milo products are already "Healthier Choice" certified and the company continues to launch "Healthier Choice" products such as the new Nescafe 3-in-1 with brown sugar.

“Like the Government, we want to play our part in raising healthier generations and helping all Singaporeans look after their health,” he said. “In fact, we have started to reformulate our products more than 10 years ago.”

Mr Melvin Teo, Yeo Hiap Seng Limited’s group chief executive officer, told TODAY that the advertising prohibition on the poorest grade of sugared drinks will not affect his company as all of Yeo’s beverages sold locally contain less than 12 per cent sugar.

Asked if he will be looking to cut even more sugar in its products – 60 per cent of which had attained the "Healthier Choice" symbol – to avoid being ascribed higher grades, he said: “Markets are constantly changing, and Yeo’s (will) stay relevant by constantly evolving to meet consumers’ needs.”

Over at F&N Foods, Ms Jennifer See, managing director of Singapore and Malaysia, said that its concerted efforts had contributed to a steady decline of its “sugar footprint” by 40 per cent over the last 14 years. “We are continuing to drive this sugar reduction in our portfolio,” she said, adding that 80 per cent of its beverage sales is contributed by its range of "Healthier Choice" products. Products under its brand include 100 Plus (5.4 per cent sugar) and Seasons (9.2 per cent sugar in its lemon tea drink).

Similarly, Pokka Singapore Group director Daniel Teo said Pokka "will not be significantly affected" by the new mandatory labels as it had already taken "significant steps" to reduce its drinks' sugar content.

This includes convening a research and development arm that focuses on sugar reduction. Over several years, the firm had made “significant progress” reformulating juice products that contain natural sugars, among other steps.

“We are very confident of phasing out higher-sugar content products completely in due course,” he added.