Healthier Choice Symbol Marketing in Singapore: How to Use the HCS Logo in Ads, Packaging and Online

Last updated 10 October 2026 — by Adrian Tan, SDM. Marketing guidance, not legal advice. Clause numbers refer to the Health Promotion Board’s HCS Licence Agreement template (December 2022) and item numbers to HPB’s checklist for HCS advertising materials (June 2020), as published in October 2026. Check with HPB before relying on any point.

The red pyramid of the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS) is one of the most recognised marks on Singapore supermarket shelves. For a food brand, it is a ready-made health message that shoppers already trust, and it is natural to want to use it everywhere: on the pack, in a Shopee listing, in a TikTok video, on a bus-stop poster.

That is where many brands go wrong. The HCS is not a claim you make about your product. It is a trade mark owned by the Health Promotion Board, licensed product by product, and every piece of advertising that shows it needs HPB’s written approval before it goes out. A logo copied from the pack into a social ad without approval is a breach of the licence and, in HPB’s own words, an infringement of its trade mark.

This guide is for food and beverage brands, retailers, F&B operators and the agencies that create their marketing. It explains how the licence works, what HPB’s advertising checklist requires, how the logo must be reproduced, how the Healthier Dining Programme identifiers work on delivery apps, and what is changing in 2026 and 2027. For the wider rules on nutrition and health claims, see our guide to food advertising claims in Singapore.

The rules at a glance

How the HCS licence works

The symbol is HPB’s trade mark

Recital B of HPB’s licence agreement states that HPB owns the trade mark. There is no specific Food Regulations provision that creates the HCS; the programme runs on a contract plus trade mark law. That shapes everything about how it is enforced. The rules are not penalties written in a statute. They are licence conditions, and using the mark outside them means using someone else’s trade mark without permission.

The licence is non-exclusive and non-transferable, and a licensee cannot sub-license it without HPB’s written consent (clause 2a). In marketing terms, that means a distributor, retailer or agency does not inherit the brand owner’s right to use the symbol. If a supermarket wants to show the HCS in its own flyer, the flyer still needs to go through the licensee and HPB.

Qualifying a product

A product qualifies when a report from an accredited laboratory shows it meets HPB’s HCS Nutrient Guidelines for its food category (clause 2b). HPB’s company FAQ says there is no application cost; the company pays only for the lab analysis. Once the licence agreement is generated, the company may use the symbol on packaging “and for advertising, promotion and marketing purposes”, subject to HPB approving all materials that use the logo.

The obligations continue after approval. Clause 4d requires the symbol to appear on the product within three months of approval. Clause 5 requires an annual product review, with lab analysis at the licensee’s cost, and allows HPB to inspect and to test products at a laboratory it designates. A reformulation that pushes a product outside the criteria is therefore a marketing problem as well as a product one: the symbol has to come off the pack and out of every ad.

Every ad needs HPB’s approval first

This is the rule that catches agencies. Clause 4h of the licence covers “Promotional Materials”, defined to include materials “whether in physical or electronic form”. Clause 4n requires HPB to approve all promotional materials in writing before use. Schedule 1 says every reproduction of the trade mark must be approved at artwork stage.

HPB’s checklist for advertising materials repeats the point: all advertising must be submitted to HPB before it is printed, published or broadcast, and unapproved use is “an infringement of Trademark and a breach of Clause 4(h) and Clause 4(n)”. HPB’s FAQ adds that the product must already be approved and listed before the symbol can appear on posters or TV ads.

In practice, that means building HPB approval into the campaign timeline, the same way you would build in a platform’s ad review. It applies to:

• social media posts, reels and stories showing the symbol, even if it only appears on the pack in the shot;
• e-commerce product images and banners on your own store and marketplaces;
• paid social and display ads;
• in-store posters, shelf wobblers and flyers;
• TV, radio-visual and out-of-home ads; and
• influencer content that features the symbol.

A useful approach is to get a small library of approved formats signed off at the start of a campaign, rather than submitting each post separately, and to keep the approval reference with the asset. Ask HPB whether a template approach suits your campaign; the checklist does not set out one.

What HPB’s checklist says your ad must not do

HPB’s checklist for advertising materials (June 2020) sets out what HPB will check. The content rules in Section 1 are where most copy problems arise:

Item 9 is the one marketers are most tempted to break. The HCS is awarded against nutrient criteria; HPB does not endorse a brand, and a claim that it does misrepresents the programme. Item 11 matters for e-commerce, where a single banner often covers a whole range. If only some variants qualify, the symbol must be attached to those variants alone.

Clause 4p of the licence adds a further requirement: every promotional material must state that the trade mark is HPB’s registered trade mark. And clause 4o bars licensees from using a company name or domain name containing the trade mark. A microsite such as “healthierchoice-[brand].sg” would breach it.

Reproducing the logo correctly

Section 2 of the checklist and HPB’s FAQ cover how the symbol must look. Designers should have these rules before they start:

• No distortion. The symbol must not be skewed, recoloured or watermarked.
• The tagline always appears and is always black, except on dark backgrounds.
• Clear space around the symbol is set by the height of the first two steps of the pyramid, and the symbol must not touch the brand name.
• Size. HPB’s FAQ gives the width as (H+W)/17, where H and W are the height and width of the display surface, with a minimum of 15mm and a maximum of 5% of the display surface.
• No combining with other marks (licence clause 4i), and no placing it next to unrelated claims such as “Organic” or “No Preservatives”, which would suggest HPB verified them.
• Comparative taglines need the comparison. A “lower in sugar” tagline needs a statement such as “25% lower in sugar as compared to” a stated reference.

The size rule is written for packaging and print. For digital assets, there is no pixel equivalent in the checklist, which is another reason to get the first set of digital formats approved before scaling a campaign.

The Healthier Dining Programme on delivery apps and websites

F&B operators use a related programme, the Healthier Dining Programme (HDP), which uses identifiers on menus rather than the pack symbol. HPB’s application process has five steps: the fourth is a licence agreement and the fifth is HPB’s approval of menu artwork, which must be submitted within six months.

For F&B companies operating only on digital platforms, HPB’s criteria are specific about online placement:

• a “Healthier options available here” decal on the home page of the website or app;
• all endorsed dishes tagged with HDP identifiers in the digital menu and in all marketing materials;
• an “Ask for lower-sugar options” identifier on the beverage or dessert section; and
• random audits of cooking oil.

For marketers, the important part is “all marketing materials”. If a cloud kitchen promotes an endorsed bowl on Instagram, the identifier belongs on the post too, and a non-endorsed dish must not carry it. We cover F&B channel strategy more broadly in our guides to digital marketing for F&B in Singapore and social media for F&B.

What is changing in 2026 and 2027

The HCS criteria are revised periodically, and the current revision cycle affects marketing calendars:

• July 2025 revision. HPB revised the guidelines for salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oils, with a grace period to 30 June 2027.
• 1 April 2026. A stricter saturated-fat limit for food-service cooking oil took effect.
• 5 October 2026 notice. Following the 3 October 2026 announcement that Nutri-Grade labelling for prepacked salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oils is pushed from mid-2027 to 2028, HPB said it is “concurrently reviewing the grace period for HCS”.

So if you sell sauces, noodles or oils with the symbol, do not assume your products will keep it under the revised criteria, and do not commit to long-running HCS creative until HPB confirms the grace period. Budget for repackaging and for withdrawing HCS assets from ads, marketplaces and influencer content if a product falls outside the new criteria.

What happens if the symbol is misused

Because the HCS runs on contract and trade mark law, the consequences are commercial and legal rather than a fixed fine:

• Termination. HPB can terminate the licence, and a material breach not remedied within seven days is a ground (clause 9).
• Removal. After termination, all use must stop, and HPB may require the symbol to be removed from products or sales to stop (clause 10).
• Public notice. Clause 10c allows HPB to publish a notice of non-compliance, which is a reputational cost for any food brand.
• Infringement. HPB’s FAQ says continued use after termination is trade mark infringement and that HPB reserves the right to take legal action.

And the symbol does not protect a misleading ad. If copy around it breaks the Food Regulations’ claim rules or the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, those apply in the usual way. Our guide to green claims in Singapore marketing covers the same logic for environmental labels: a credential only supports the specific claim it certifies.

A worked example: an e-commerce launch

A Singapore brand launches four granola flavours. Two have HCS approval for “higher in wholegrains”; two do not qualify. Here is how the launch should handle the symbol:

1. Marketplace listings. The two approved flavours show the pack with the symbol and the tagline. The other two listings show packs without it. No range-wide banner places the symbol above all four (checklist item 11).
2. Launch ad. The carousel features the two approved flavours with the symbol, “Eat All Foods in Moderation” and the registered trade mark notice. The copy says “higher in wholegrains”, not “HPB-approved granola”.
3. Influencer brief. The brief tells creators not to call the product “endorsed by HPB” or “the healthiest granola”, and includes the approved wording. Influencer posts showing the symbol go through the approval route. Our guide to influencer marketing in Singapore covers briefs and disclosure.
4. Timing. HPB approval is booked into the plan before the ad buy, not after.

Checklist for brands and agencies

1. Confirm the exact products licensed and the tagline each carries.
2. Submit every material that shows the symbol, print or digital, to HPB before use.
3. Never say “endorsed by HPB” or “the only product with the HCS”.
4. Add “Eat All Foods in Moderation” and the registered trade mark notice.
5. Keep the symbol away from non-qualifying variants and unrelated claims.
6. Follow the logo, tagline, clear-space and size rules.
7. Do not use the mark in a company name, domain or campaign URL.
8. For dining, tag only endorsed dishes, online and in marketing.
9. Watch HPB’s grace-period decision if you sell sauces, noodles, seasonings or oils.
10. Keep approval records with every asset.

Conclusion

The Healthier Choice Symbol is a valuable asset because shoppers trust it, and HPB protects it accordingly. Treat it as a licensed trade mark rather than a health claim: use it only on licensed products, get every piece of marketing approved before it runs, reproduce it exactly, and never suggest HPB endorses your brand. Done that way, it is one of the few health messages a Singapore food brand can use in advertising with the regulator’s explicit backing.

If you market food, beverage or F&B brands and want campaigns that build in approvals without losing momentum, our performance marketing team in Singapore can help; see our client case studies for results. For how we plan and measure campaigns, read our complete guide to performance marketing in Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the Healthier Choice Symbol in my ads?

Yes, if your product holds a valid HCS licence. But HPB must approve every advertising or promotional material that shows the symbol, in print or digital form, in writing before it is used.

How much does the Healthier Choice Symbol cost?

HPB’s FAQ for companies says there is no application cost. The company pays for laboratory nutrient analysis showing the product meets the HCS nutrient guidelines, and for annual product reviews.

Can I say my product is endorsed by HPB?

No. HPB’s advertising checklist bans claims that a product is endorsed by HPB or is the only product carrying the Healthier Choice Symbol. The symbol shows the product meets nutrient criteria, not that HPB endorses the brand.

What statement must appear in an HCS ad?

HPB’s checklist requires “Eat All Foods in Moderation”, and the licence requires every promotional material to state that the symbol is HPB’s registered trade mark. Comparative taglines also need the comparison stated.

What happens if a company misuses the HCS?

HPB can terminate the licence, require the symbol to be removed and publish a notice of non-compliance. Continued use after termination is trade mark infringement, and HPB says it may take legal action.

Are the HCS criteria changing?

Yes. HPB revised the criteria for salt, sauces, seasonings, instant noodles and cooking oils, with a grace period to 30 June 2027, and said on 5 October 2026 that it is reviewing that grace period after Nutri-Grade for those products was moved to 2028.