Manufacturers of prepackaged beverages are urged to gear up for the new regulations for nutrition labeling and claims due to come into effect next July.
A Consumer Council test, in collaboration with the Centre for Food Safety, has shown that many a prepackaged beverage in the market would have run foul of the law if presently enforced.
Among a total of 80 prepackaged beverages covered in the test, 16 were found to bear claims or wording related to their sugars content or sweetness.
One instant coffee mix product, for instance, that bore a （無糖）sugars-free claim, turned out to contain 5.3g sugars per 100g powder or 0.74g sugars per 100mL drink (after reconstitution).
This would not have fulfilled the legal criteria of "sugar free" claim and will be in contravention of the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment: Requirements for Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim) Regulation 2008.
The Amendment Regulation stipulates that "sugar free" food must contain not more than 0.5g of sugars per 100g or 100mL (solid or liquid) food.
In another instance, 10 samples bearing （低糖∕糖少）low-sugars claim were found to contain sugars ranging from 0.3g to 49g per 100g product.
It was found that half of them would not comply with the requirement of not more than 5g of sugars per 100g solid food or per 100mL liquid food for "low sugars" claim as stipulated in the Amendment Regulation.
Furthermore, some samples (7) bore wording related to sugars, such as（少甜） less-sweet or （微甜）slightly-sweetened or（無糖添加）no-added-sugars.
These and other similar expressions, however, are not considered to be nutrition claims on sugars and as such they are not covered by the Amendment Regulation.
Nonetheless, out of the 5 samples bearing less-sweet or slightly-sweetened wording, 2 were found to contain 9.1g and 9.8g sugars per 100g beverage respectively - which level is higher than 5g sugars per 100mL liquid food and cannot meet the relevant claim conditions if a "low sugars" claim is to be made.
Similarly, 1 of the 2 samples bearing （無糖添加）no-added-sugars wording was found to contain 0.68g sugars per 100mL drink - this level is higher than 0.5g of sugars per 100mL liquid food and cannot meet the relevant claim conditions if a "sugars free" claim is to be made.
Manufacturers are urged to refrain from such labeling practice to bypass the law as it may potentially mislead the consumer.
Description of a beverage's sweetness is a matter of subjective judgment varying from individual to individual and without a standard measurement.
As the test has shown, products with sugars related wording do not necessarily contain low levels of sugars. Consumers are, therefore, advised to be wary of such wording in their choice of food and beverages.
Consumers, in particular, diabetic patients should beware of no-added-sugars wording which only indicates that no sugars are added in the product, but as the food may contain sugars naturally present in them, it is not to be taken that the sugars level is necessarily low.
The joint test also showed up high levels of sugars in many of the prepackaged beverages catering to all tastes and preferences.
Covered in the test were a broad range of 80 beverages including: carbonated drinks, fruit juice and fruit juice drinks, soya beverages, lactic acid beverages, chocolate and malt drinks, milk tea and coffee, other tea and herbal drinks, sport and energy drinks.
Top on the list with the highest level of sugars was a lactic acid beverage - at 16g sugars per 100g.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), the daily intake of free sugars should be limited to less than 10% of the total daily energy intake. For example, an individual with 2,000kcal energy intake should limit the free sugars intake to less than 50g per day.
Taking 3 to 4 bottles of this lactic acid beverage, which comes in a small container (100mL), would have reached and even exceeded the daily recommended intake limit for free sugars in an individual with 2,000kcal energy intake.
2 other lactic acid beverages were also found to have high sugars content with 13g and 15g per 100g respectively.
Apart from lactic acid beverages, following closely in high sugars content were 5 other beverages with 13g per 100g - comprising 2 orange soda, 1 orange juice drink, 1 blackcurrant juice drink, and 1 lemon tea.
Consuming one can or pack of these drinks that ranged in volume from 200mL to 330mL each, would have taken some 26g to 43g free sugars, or 50% to 90% of the daily recommended intake.
In addition to sugars which is classified as a nutrient in the Amendment Regulation, the test also analysed the contents of energy and 6 other nutrients, namely, protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.
Consumers can refer to the test report in this November issue of CHOICE for details.
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