ANSWER
The Nutrition Department has revised the nutrient criteria for the Healthier Choice Logo Malaysia which took effect from 1st August 2021 onwards.
Here are the following changes to take note of:
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The product group category has been expanded to include cereal products, flour, confectionery and convenience food.
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Some of the products have specific new requirements that must be achieved within a specific time period. For example, there is new requirement on total sugar content for coffee drinks to be achieved by 1st January 2025 and 1st January 2027 as per the table below:
Total Sugar (100g/ml) Requirements for Coffee Drink |
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Existing requirement |
To be achieved by 1st January 2025 |
To be achieved by 1st January 2027 |
≤5.0g/100ml |
≤5.0g/100ml (RTD) or ≤16.7g/100g (powder) |
≤2.5g/100ml (RTD) or ≤16.7g/100ml AND no sugar substitutes added |
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Some of the nutrient values will be amended by January 2024. The changes are due to the addition of the new items in the product group category. Their respective nutrient values will be amended and updated based on the latest Nutrient Reference Values (NRV) in Food Regulation 1985.
The table below shows an example of the nutrient values that will be changed by January 2024:
Nutrient |
Value per 100g |
Value per 100ml |
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Current Level |
New Target by January 2024 |
Current Level |
New Target by January 2024 |
|
Vitamin D (µg) |
0.75 |
2.25 |
0.375 |
1.125 |
Vitamin B1 (mg) |
0.21 |
0.18 |
0.105 |
0.09 |
*this is not an exhaustive list.
Reference
Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2021). Nutritional Guidelines on Nutrient Criteria for Healthier Choice Logo Malaysia. Putrajaya: Nutrition Division.
