S’pore Drinks Companies Unhappy That They’re Getting Targeted For Sugar-Reduction Measures

2019-01-31 , 3:43 pm

Lest you’re unaware, the government has plans to crack down on substances soon, and you might be shocked to know that the key objective’s none other than…

Sugar.

Indeed, in December last year, the Ministry of Health actually proposed four measures to tackle sugar consumption and diabetes:

A ban on Higher-Sugar Pre-Packaged SSBs
Excise duty on manufacturers and importers
A mandatory Front-Of-Pack nutrition label
Implementation of advertising regulations, that limit exposure to less healthy food and drinks ads

Since then, there has been a public consultation going on, from 4 December 2018 to 25 Jan 2019. According to The Straits Times, the 19 January session was the last of over 10 sessions held since December, and feedback was collected from over 3,000 members of the public, via both online and offline channels.

“So how’s the feedback?” you wonder. “Am I gonna have to suffer from withdrawal symptoms (of not having sugar) from now on?”

Well, while I’ve no idea about the latter, I’ll just like to clarify that Singapore drinks companies are pretty unhappy about it too. In fact…

They’re probably even more unhappy about it than you guys.

Stop this sugar madness

At a recent public consultation session held on 19 Jan, beverage companies seemed concerned with the concept of sugar tax and its unapologetic targeting of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). And their key dissent with the notion?

Targeting just SSBs is not expected to have long-lasting results.

“It will simply shift the consumer to unregulated products like bubble tea, or those that are served fresh in coffee chains,” said Deputy CEO of Pokka International Daniel Teo, who cited tobacco taxes and their failure to curb smoking as an example.

“If you look at the research carefully, 50% of the cause of diabetes is attributed to sugars in food and processed food, so that’s a huge other part that needs to be addressed.”

And other food bodies concur. Trade body Food Industry Asia previously commented this:

“There should be a more collaborative multi-stakeholder approach, including the industry, to help solve some of these issues rather than present options like blanket bans or those that may be viewed as discriminatory in nature”.

FIA Executive Director Matthew Kovac agrees. Adding that there’s no “magic bullet” to combat chronic diseases, he expressed that many scientific studies have suggested [limited effectiveness] of sugar tax in limiting SSB consumption”.

“Consumption habits are hard to change and an outright ban on pre-packaged SSBs will not guarantee an overall fall in sugar intake as consumers may simply choose other foods that can satisfy their needs.”

He also added: “The prevention of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) goes beyond sugar reduction — it requires adopting a balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle. A more effective approach would be one that is coordinated across all levels, including steps such as nutrition and physical education”.

And Coca-Cola Singapore weighs in on the heavily contested notion. In an interview with Channel News Asia last year, the soft drink giant said: “We believe that there are more effective ways to address diabetes and obesity than taxes or advertising restrictions that only target beverages.”

Proposed alternatives

And yet, the truth cannot be denied: sugar is dangerous, and diabetes must be prevented. So what alternatives, should the current plans be scrapped, could be considered in the long run?

Daniel Teo, for one, had a suggestion: MOH should reward companies that produce healthier products instead, because ‘nobody likes punishments or a punitive approach’.

But it all falls on deaf ears

For according to reports, the Government appears ready to proceed with its initial proposal anyway.

During a consultation session, Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong expressed that the tax was a measure the government hoped would ‘influence and shape’ both consumer and manufacturer behaviour.

“If we impose taxes, if we do take that step and end up collecting more tax, then I think something is not right. It means that people are willing to pay that tax to consume the same amount of sugar,” he said.

And so, that leads to the all-important question…

What now?

As it is, I have a feeling sugar consumption’s not gonna stop anytime soon. In fact I highly doubt that it’s even gonna decrease significantly, if at all. After all, it’s a proven notion that everyone loves sugar…

And it’ll take more than a spike in sugar taxes to deter people from getting what they want.

But of course, my prediction could be wrong.

And in which case, I have a feeling that Singapore will just become a second America because everyone will probably ditch sugar for burgers instead.

Cos burgers r lyfe.

S’pore Drinks Companies Unhappy That They’re Getting Targeted For Sugar-Reduction Measures

Stop this sugar madness

Proposed alternatives

But it all falls on deaf ears

And so, that leads to the all-important question…

If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:

Read Also: