SINGAPORE: A Singapore TikTok user was surprised to learn that based on the Health Promotion Board (HPB) grading system for drinks, Coke is healthier not only than a 100plus, an isotonic sports drink, but also Milo, which has long been promoted as a healthy beverage, especially for children.
The video from Almightyalicia or lish, shows a Coke with a grade of B, a 100plus with a grade of C, and a Milo with the unhealthiest grade of all, a D. She captioned it “I want to live in my delusion pls🙏🏻 HPB dont expose the truth bc it HURTS 🥲”
@almightyalicia I want to live in my delusion pls🙏🏻 HPB dont expose the truth bc it HURTS 🥲
However, it seems not all Milo and Coke products are created equal when it comes to Nutri-Grade ratings. A check on the NTUC FairPrice website shows the grades were reversed for Milo and Coke in other forms, with Milo getting a B and Coke getting a D.
On the Nutri-Grade A and B Packaged Drinks List online from www.healthhub.sg, Coke drinks with lower sugar content get a B rating.
And most Milo drinks do get a B, except for Milo 3-in-1, which gets a D.
Lish’s video has since been viewed over 93,000 times, with commenters eager to weigh in on the matter.
Some made a joke of the ratings.
“Rating refer to d taste, A=average B=better C=can make it D=delicious,” quipped one netizen.
And lish wrote in a comment that even with the rating, she’ll still stick to Milo. “It’s ok, even if it is D, ill live in the D-lusion that it is B.”
“They stick the sticker wrongly la,” wrote another.
One TikTok user seemed puzzled, writing, “thought coke is always people say most unhealthy drink but is B ?”
But others pointed out that sugar content is a big part of the Health Promotion Board ratings.
In explaining the need for such measures as the Nutri-Grade rating system, the Health Promotion Board wrote, “Diabetes is a serious health concern in Singapore. The number of Singapore residents with diabetes is projected to reach one million by 2050, if nothing is done. In response to the significant health and societal burden posed by diabetes, MOH launched the War on Diabetes in 2016 to mobilise a whole-of-society effort to tackle the disease.
High sugar intake is linked to increased risk of obesity and diabetes. A 2021 local meta-analysis which included studies on Asian populations found that higher consumption of sugary beverages was associated with a 51 per cent higher risk of diabetes, compared to lower consumption.
Singaporeans are consuming on average twelve teaspoons (or 58g) of sugar daily. More than half of Singaporeans’ daily sugar intake comes from beverages, of which pre-packaged beverages contribute 64 per cent and freshly prepared beverages contribute 36 per cent. More needs to be done to further reduce Singaporeans’ sugar intake.” /TISG
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