The Ministry of Health and Mass Media has issued an Extraordinary Gazette introducing amendments to the regulations governing the colour-coded sugar labelling of liquid food products.
The revised regulations were issued by the Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, under Section 32 of the Food Act, No. 26 of 1980, and were published in the Extraordinary Gazette dated June 23.
Under the amendments, new specifications have been introduced for the design and display of the red, amber (yellow), and green colour-coded labels used to indicate the sugar content of beverages.
The revised regulations also provide for an alternative logo design that may be used on glass bottles and other containers with limited printable space.
In addition, the amendments introduce a new definition for “business-to-business food products,” referring to food items that are not sold directly to consumers but are intended solely for further processing, preparation, or resale.
According to the revised regulations:
- Red label: Beverages containing more than 8.0 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres.
- Amber (Yellow) label: Beverages containing between 2.5 and 8.0 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres.
- Green label: Beverages containing less than 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres.
The Ministry said the revised labelling requirements are intended to provide consumers with clearer nutritional information and help them make more informed choices regarding sugar consumption.
