Thais urged to cut sugar use

The Public Health Ministry has launched a campaign encouraging Thais to consume less sugar.

Tianchai Suwanpen, an adviser to the deputy public health minister, said on Tuesday a key message of the campaign is that people should consume no more than 25 grammes or six teaspoons per day.

This comes after a report showed that many Thai people consume far too much sugar.

Statistics from 2017 to 2019 show that Thai people, especially those of working age, consumed 2.5–2.6 metric tonnes of sugar a year, which equalled 25 teaspoons a day.

As part of the campaign, the Department of Health has called on beverage makers to reduce the amount of sugar in their sweet drinks from the present 6% to 5% per serving size.