In war against diabetes, make water dispensers compulsory at eateries

In Singapore, it is rare to see people ordering plain water to go with their hawker food. Instead, I can often spot youngsters, especially schoolchildren, having breakfast with sugary drinks at food outlets.

A bottle of water costs about the same or even more than hot drinks and canned drinks at coffee shops and food courts. Many Singaporeans thus opt for sugary drinks on a daily basis.

Many are also consuming hawker food, which can be high in sugar, saturated fats and salt, for more of their meals now. This can have a detrimental effect on their health (“In diabetes fight, make consumption of fruits, vegetables a daily habit”; April 22).

When I was at a food court in Hokkaido, Japan, I was surprised that there were two water dispensers providing water free of charge. I hope this can happen in Singapore.

If it is serious about the war on diabetes, the Health Ministry must boldly make water dispensers compulsory at food courts, coffee shops, fast-food outlets and hawker centres.

Singaporeans would then have a choice to drink plain water and reduce the diabetes rate. Surely many customers of these major food outlets here would welcome such a decision and initiative.

It would benefit our nation’s health by helping to reduce the number of diabetes cases and the treatment costs.