Singapore to Ban the Ads of Unhealthy Soft Drinks

In its latest move to combat rising diabetes rates, Singapore is going to ban the advertisements, endorsing unhealthy sugary soft drinks thereby becoming the first country in the world to take such a strict step for the betterment of its citizens.

Products, which are deemed less healthy, now must have to display labels, grading their nutritional and sugar content and those products which are considered to be most unhealthy will be banned from appearing in the ads across all media platforms, which includes broadcast, print and online channels.

The Health Ministry said in a statement, that the ban, which is going to be the world’s first, “aims to reduce the influence of such advertisements on consumer preferences”. It also added that the measures are only a start, as the government will continue to explore the possibility of a sugar tax or ban.

The Statement further said, “We urge SSB (sugar-sweetened beverages) manufacturers to consider reformulating their drinks to contain less sugar even as we further study these measures”.

The ministry is also planning to obtain industry feedback in the coming months on how to implement the strict measures and announce more details by the start of next year.

Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola Company, which is the world’s biggest beverage maker, said it has welcomed the plans and assured would work to reduce sugar levels in its soft drinks sold in Singapore.

Ahmed Yehia, country manager for Coca-Cola Singapore and Malaysia said, “We will continue to rethink many of our recipes in Singapore to reduce sugar, because while sugar in moderation is fine, we agree that too much of it is not good for anyone. We foresee minimal impact on our portfolio from this announcement”.

Marketing ban around the world are more focused on restricting children’s exposure to the junk food ads. But the action of Singapore has gone a little further than measures in other countries such as Britain and Mexico, which restrict advertisements for high-calorie food and drinks, which can be shown on television only to the limit of their exposure to children.

According to a study of the International Diabetes Federation, in Singapore 13.7 percent of adults suffer from diabetes, which is one of the highest rates among developed nations, partly caused by its fast-growing and aging population and a culture of eating out at the inexpensive hawker centres.

Meanwhile according to a study by the International Diabetes Federation, at present nearly 420 million people around the world suffer from diabetes, with the number expected to rise to 629 million by 2045.