Healthier Choice Symbol vs Nutri-Grade: Which Applies

Nutri-Grade is a legal requirement for Singapore drinks, while the Healthier Choice Symbol is a voluntary HPB licence. HCS drinks are Grade A or B, and a reformulated HCS product needs a new application. The planned mid-2027 extension covers prepacked sauces, seasonings, instant noodles, salt and cooking oil; its thresholds are not yet gazetted. HPB's Nutri-Grade measures and HCS application guidance set out the two schemes.

As of October 2026, the distinction matters when a brand changes a recipe or approves a pack. Check the Nutri-Grade requirement for the finished product and, if it carries HCS, check the licence and revised guidelines too. Sources checked on 3 October 2026. This page is a reading of the instruments, not legal advice.

The short answer: Nutri-Grade is a legal requirement and the Healthier Choice Symbol is a voluntary licence

Nutri-Grade drinks graded C or D require a mark; A and B marks are optional. Grade D cannot be advertised, apart from point-of-sale material for prepacked drinks in shops such as supermarkets. HPB's drinks measures distinguish prepacked marks from marks next to freshly prepared menu listings. HCS is voluntary and uses a licensing process with HPB. A business seeking the symbol applies through HCS Online rather than assigning itself an HCS licence from its Nutri-Grade result.

Side-by-side table

The comparison below follows HPB's Nutri-Grade measures and HCS licensing guidance. It separates the grade calculation from the application that permits use of the symbol. For a reformulation, keep both decisions in the same product review: the new nutrient values determine the Nutri-Grade assessment, while the HCS process requires a new application. Record the recipe version against the nutrient report so the assessment and proposed pack refer to the same product.

How the two line up for drinks

HPB states that all drinks under the Healthier Choice Symbol and Healthier Dining Programme are Grade A or B. Grade A requires sugar at most 1 g and saturated fat at most 0.7 g per 100 ml under Sixteenth Schedule paragraphs 3 and 4. Paragraph 5 prevents Grade A where a substance is added in place of sugar. Our Nutri-Grade thresholds reference contains the full drinks table and explains the sugar measurement basis.

For a beverage brief, ask for the nutrient result and the sweetener declaration together. A sugar reduction that reaches the Grade A sugar band does not settle the saturated-fat grade or the paragraph 5 rule. Our sugar-reduction article explains the ingredient constraint. Use the finished recipe when reviewing the two schemes, and keep the proposed HCS application with the Nutri-Grade assessment rather than relying on the grade alone.

How they line up for sauces and seasonings from 2027

MOH's 6 April 2025 announcement, paragraph 4(d) says the HCS criteria for salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oil will be revised so products with HCS are Grade A or B when the mid-2027 measures are introduced. As of October 2026, the Nutri-Grade extension is still pending gazettal. The published threshold tables are useful for planning; keep the announced alignment and the current HCS application requirements distinct in the product file.

What a reformulation triggers

After reformulating an HCS product, submit a new application through HCS Online. HPB's application process requires a nutrient analysis report from an independent accredited laboratory, a Licence Agreement and a yearly product review. The CorpPass administrator adds the HCS Online e-Service. Ask the team handling the licence to confirm the application steps before the changed product's packaging is approved, and make sure the nutrient report describes the reformulated product.

The HPB letter dated 30 March 2026 states that the revised guidelines take effect from 1 April 2026. Its grace period until 30 June 2027 covers any existing HCS product that does not meet the revised guidelines. That scope includes the April revision as a whole, including oil criteria and clarifications. Check the product against the revised guidelines, then document whether the grace period applies and what the new application requires.

What to ask your flavour supplier before reformulating

Before changing a flavour, ask the supplier for the proposed ingredient declaration and the documents needed to review additive and allergen carry-over. Our supplier-selection article provides the wider questions to put to a flavour supplier in Singapore. Include the target grade, intended HCS use and the exact recipe being assessed in that brief. This lets the regulatory team review the nutrient target and the flavour's documentation together.

For the underlying ingredient rules, read the Singapore flavouring regulations and SFA flavour-labelling article. The halal flavour-certification guide covers the separate certification documents. Our Food Safety and Security Act article explains why the current flavouring rules still apply as of October 2026. Keep these checks with the reformulation record so the grade, licence application and ingredient documentation all describe the same version.