The smaller the sachet the sweeter your health

The smaller the sachet the sweeter your health

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Starting from January next year, if you order a cup of coffee at Cafe Amazon and notice that the sugar sachets they provide are smaller in size, do not get too startled as this is part of a national campaign to reduce sugar consumption among Thais.

Earlier this year, the Department of Health under the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation launched a health campaign entitled "Waan Pordee Tee 4g", literally "4g Is Properly Sweet", to curb the amount of sugar we put into our beverages.

A Cafe Amazon branch that opened earlier this month inside the Department of Health is the first one to adopt this health-conscious protocol by providing its customers with 4g sugar sachets instead of 6g. Fans of Amazon coffee may or may not spot the 2g difference because, according to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, one of the reasons people's sugar intake goes out of hand is because they do not know how much sugar is in one sachet.

The subject regarding the daily intake of sugar is not just Thailand's national headache, but also a global concern. Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a new guideline that recommends adults and children lessen their daily intake of sugar to less than 10% of their total energy consumption.

The new WHO recommendation also suggests a further reduction of sugar intake to approximately 25g -- an equivalent of six teaspoons per day.

In Thailand, this issue has been stressed persistently, each time targeting different products -- from carbonated beverages, juice drinks to green tea drinks. It just so happens that now the spotlight is shining directly on sugar sachets in coffee shops, which actually vary in size -- from 3g to 10g. The most commonly used ones in Thailand are the 8g sachets. Café Amazon's decision to replace its 6g sachets with 4g is indeed a bold and health-conscious move because medically speaking, putting 4g of sugar in a cup of coffee is the equivalent of one teaspoon -- which is quite a lot given that many of us do not drink just one cup a day and that we also receive sugar from other diet sources and that the recommended daily sugar intake, according to the Ministry of Health's Bureau of Nutrition, is six teaspoons or 24g for the average person.

Shrinking the size of sugar sachets in coffee shops is definitely a healthy step because in a nutshell, when it comes to sugar intake, moderation is always better.

But does the reduction of the size of sugar sachets lead to an increase in people's understanding about the health impacts of excessive sugar consumption? Honestly, this question is a tough one to answer.

If Thai consumers still do not understand that too much sugar is likely to bring about several non-communicable illnesses including diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases, using 4g sachets in cafés would be just a grasp of the straws.

This is because if people still perceive having too much sugar as harmless, they won't care about the size of the packets each coffee shop provides. What they will care about is if their drink doesn't taste as sweet as they usually like. And if a 4g sachet cannot give them the level of sweetness that their taste buds need to be satisfied, then they can just add a few more. Simple solution.

So if we are to tackle this sugar crunch, it needs more than just changing the size of sugar packets. Rather, consumer awareness is the real solution. First and most importantly, it is crucial to make consumers understand that too much sugar is detrimental. Campaigns and activities by both public and private sectors should underline this topic. But, instead of just using the old ways of communication, social network channels such as Facebook must be used to send the message across so that it reaches a wider and younger audience.

Classroom education should also play a pivotal role in raising awareness regarding proper sugar intake.

Students must be instilled with the belief from childhood that too much sugar does more harm than good and that all kinds of sweet food and beverages should be consumed in moderation.

While teachers do their job in providing the young ones with knowledge, schools must also ban the sale of these sweet products in their premises altogether.

With a true understanding that too much sugar can be a silent killer, these children will grow up to become adults who are well aware of the health impacts of this sweet substance. They will in turn become parents who will teach their kids to take it in moderation.

And with all parties taking action more seriously, everything, indeed, will be properly sweet.


Arusa Pisuthipan is the deputy editor of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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