In a bid to reduce the exacerbating diabetes rates, Singapore will become the first nation in the world to ban advertisements for unhealthy drinks with high sugar content.
Further, such products must now display labels with information on nutritional and sugar content, warning consumers that they are unhealthy to consume. The front-of-pack label also will be colour coded and graded to show whether the drink is healthy, neutral, or unhealthy.
However, the amount of sugar contained in the drinks is not the only factor that determines the grade of a drink. Factors such as the amount of saturated fat also do impact the grading.
According to the Ministry of Health, soft drinks, juices, instant coffee, and yoghurt drinks will be impacted by this new regulation. All drinks in cans, bottles, and packs will be subjected to this regulation.
The ban will be on all local mass media platforms.
“Our rapidly aging population and rising prevalence of chronic diseases will lead us to an unsustainable, costly system with poorer health outcomes if we do not intervene,” Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong said. He also added that these changes would help people make educated and informed choices about the drinks they consume.
According to Bloomberg Intelligence, Singapore is one of the leading consumers of sugar in the world. This has resulted in severe health consequences such as higher obesity and diabetes rates among the citizens.
The statistics related to diabetes across the world are shocking. Currently, about 420 million people across the world suffer from diabetes. However, according to the International Diabetes Foundation, this number is expected to rise to a whopping 629 million.
Do you think this move will help mitigate the increasing rates of diabetes? Should more nations across the globe follow this move? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
