One of the country's focuses towards a developed country is to improve the quality of people's health. And one of the methods used by many other countries such as Singapore, Australia and a number of European countries is the introduction of a Nutri-Grade sugar content grading system in drinks sold.
The Malaysian Ministry of Health is reported to be currently in the process of developing its own Nutri-Grade grading system and will take into account the need for amendments to the Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations 1985.
This system will be implemented in stages, starting with ready-to-drink beverage products and then beverages provided at sales premises. Through the implementation of this Nutri-Grade labeling system, beverages categorized in grade D (>10g total sugar/100ml) will be prohibited from being advertised on any platform.
This step is seen as a way for the government to strengthen control over the advertising of high-sugar beverages, while encouraging the industry and beverage operators to reformulate products to reduce the sugar content in beverages.
The Nutri-Grade Malaysia grading system will focus on sugar content in beverages for now, as Malaysia already has a Healthier Choice Logo label for healthy food content that has been voluntarily implemented. To date, 1002 food and beverage products have received the Healthier Choice Logo recognition.
