| Craving a sweet, creamy bubble tea but held back by guilt? Shanghai is testing a labeling system to help millions of beverage drinkers indulge, as this country's consumers get increasingly health conscious. In China's first-ever trial program to grade beverages, city authorities have introduced a rating system based on sugar and fat content at four participating tea chains. Grades from A (the healthiest) to D now appear on their menus beside individual items for customers to assess. The pilot's regulations stipulate an A-grade drink should contain less than 0.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters — far less than those slapped with a D rating, which can contain a whopping 11.5 grams — or more — of sugar per 100 milliliters. Drink shops, notably those serving wildly popular bubble teas, which can be packed with sugar and creams, have been taking over Chinese main streets in recent years. At the same time, the concept of a healthy diet is gaining traction among Chinese, spurring beverage manufacturers to reformulate products — and even launch new ones — better adhering to their preferences.
Slogans like "zero sugar" and "zero fat" have become prominent advertising points, and it's common practice here for bubble tea stores to offer people the option to customize how much sugar they want, from zero to "a little." The pilot could have wider ramifications for health in a country of 1.4 billion. A study published last year found the prevalence of diabetes in Shanghai's population had almost doubled over a 15-year period, and soared to more than a fifth of adults in 2017.
The mainland itself had almost 141 million adults with diabetes in 2021 — the highest number in the world — according to the International Diabetes Federation. The number could rise to more than 174 million by 2045, the federation's research said. The National Health Commission of China has also reported that more than half the adult population was overweight or obese as of 2020. The World Health Organization recommends adults and children reduce their daily intake of added sugars to about 50 grams, and China's consumption recommendations closely follow the WHO's. Other countries taking steps to warn customers of what's in their food and drinks include Singapore, which in 2022 introduced a similar graded labeling system amid concerns about diabetes and obesity. The pilot is catching on with Shanghai's consumers. Cosima, who works in the glitzy downtown business district and asked to be identified only by her first name, said she often enjoys a beverage during lunch with her colleagues at a branch of Chagee, a milk tea chain participating in the pilot. "Little sugar" has always been Cosima's sweetener level, putting her cup in the system's B category. "It's relatively healthy," she said. Nayuki Holdings, another teahouse chain and trial participant, said last year that 63% of its customers opted for less sugar — and 38% for just natural sweeteners — when ordering. On Chinese social media platforms, meanwhile, some people are calling for the beverage labeling system to be adopted nationwide. Others are advising against sweet drinks as a whole. "If sugar and fat in the beverages bother you, you might as well stop drinking any," one Weibo user wrote. —Karen Leigh | 
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