Label rules › Singapore

Singapore label requirements for packaging

Prepacked food sold in Singapore is labelled under the Food Regulations, enforced by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). The label is in English — other languages may be added — and its particulars are set out in SFA’s A Guide to Food Labelling and Advertisements, revised for the Food (Amendment) Regulations 2025 that took effect on 30 January 2026. Nutrition labelling, claims and the Nutri-Grade mark are under the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Promotion Board (HPB). Here is what goes on the pack.

Checked: 27 October 2026

Mandatory items

What every prepacked food carries

In English: the name or description of the food; the ingredients in descending order of weight, with any that cause hypersensitivity declared; the net quantity in metric units; the name and address of the local manufacturer, packer, importer or distributor; and the country of origin. Since 30 January 2026 the label also carries a lot identification and, where needed, directions for use, and the old 1.5 mm minimum for the name and ingredients has gone — the words must still be legible.

Importers often relabel: a sticker is acceptable when it is firmly attached at all times and covers none of the other information the Regulations require. The original date mark may never be removed, altered, covered or tampered with.

The date mark

The foods the Regulations list carry a date mark: USE BY, EXPIRY DATE, SELL BY or BEST BEFORE, followed by the date as dd/mm/yy, in letters at least 3 mm high, permanently marked or embossed on the pack. In Singapore the four words mean the same: the food may not be sold after the date.

Nutrition and Nutri-Grade

A nutrition information panel goes on packs that make nutrition or health claims; the claims themselves follow HPB’s guidance. Since 30 December 2022, pre-packed drinks — ready to drink, or powders and concentrates — are graded A to D by sugar and saturated fat per 100 ml: A at most 1 g sugar and 0.7 g saturated fat, B at most 5 g and 1.2 g, C at most 10 g and 2.8 g, D above. Grades C and D carry the Nutri-Grade mark on the front of the pack; advertising grade D drinks is prohibited outside the point of sale.

HPB has announced that salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oils sold at retail will be graded too, with the same front-of-pack mark for grades C and D; as of 3 October 2026 HPB says the rules take effect in 2028, pending gazettal.

Laying it out in Drint

1. Drint has no Singapore label kit yet and does not check these rules. Lay the label on the back panel with Insert → Product label or text blocks.
2. Paste the client’s English text as it is — Drint does not translate. Chinese, Malay or Tamil lines the client adds sit beside it in the same block.
3. Leave a clear spot for the date mark where the line will print or emboss it, at least 3 mm high.
4. Check in Export still finds text near the cut, low-resolution pictures and ink problems.

Sources

SFA, A Guide to Food Labelling and Advertisements (PDF). SFA, food labelling and packaging guidelines. HPB, Nutri-Grade. MOH, Nutri-Grade beverages from 30 December 2022.

Lay out the label in Drint

Questions

A summary written to design packs, not legal advice. Before printing, check the current Food Regulations, SFA’s guide and HPB’s Nutri-Grade specifications with your client or a regulatory consultant.