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Sugar tax among MPs’ suggestions to tackle diabetes

SINGAPORE — As the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced its intent to tackle the scourge of diabetes, Members of Parliament (MP) yesterday raised suggestions to discourage unhealthy eating habits and prevent obesity, such as imposing a sugar tax or labelling sugar content.

The Healthier Choice Symbol helps consumers make healthier purchases. TODAY file photo

The Healthier Choice Symbol helps consumers make healthier purchases. TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — As the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced its intent to tackle the scourge of diabetes, Members of Parliament (MP) yesterday raised suggestions to discourage unhealthy eating habits and prevent obesity, such as imposing a sugar tax or labelling sugar content.

During the debate on the MOH’s budget, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Chia Shi-Lu highlighted the rising adult obesity rate here, which increases the risk for a host of other conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer. “The WHO (World Health Organization) has recently released a report decrying the alarming rise in rates of diabetes globally, and a chief culprit is the overconsumption of high-calorie foods and in particular foods with high sugar content,” said Dr Chia, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health.

Dr Chia asked if the MOH would reconsider implementing increased taxation on unhealthy foods such as those with an excessive amount of sugar or fat, although he noted such taxes may raise prices and disproportionately affect lower-income Singaporeans who spend more on cheaper processed foods.

Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh suggested colour-coding sugar content in processed foods and displaying this on food packaging. “Labelling should be in line with WHO guidelines of cutting free sugar consumption to less than 10 per cent of daily calorie intake. This can be rolled out in phases, starting with canned and packet drinks,” said Associate Professor Goh.

In response, Minister of State (Health and Communications and Information) Chee Hong Tat said the MOH would study the MPs’ suggestions. Nevertheless, he noted the existing practice of displaying the Health Promotion Board’s Healthier Choice Symbol on 2,500 food products across 70 food categories.

Health experts TODAY spoke to said tackling diabetes would require a multi-faceted approach. Lien Centre for Palliative Care director Eric Finkelstein, who researches behaviours related to obesity, noted that studies have shown that education and information have limited effect on changing people’s behaviour. “If we want to have sustained changes in behaviour, we need to have sustained interventions that make it easier to engage in healthy behaviours, or harder to engage in unhealthy behaviours,” said Dr Finkelstein. On the idea of imposing a sugar tax, Dr Finkelstein said it would help to encourage changes in food suppliers’ behaviour. He added that pushing suppliers towards offering lower calorie options is key to fighting diabetes and differential taxing such as a sugar tax could help nudge their behaviour. “If foods associated with the healthy choice logo got additional subsidies, you would very quickly see manufacturers try to get more foods eligible,” he said.

Health economist Phua Kai Hong from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy cautioned that such taxes are a blunt instrument that requires careful calibration, such as setting the limit for sugar level or targeting specific industries such as refined sugar or soft drinks. He added that scientific and public health evidence also has to be made clear as the basis for such a tax. Implementing a sugar tax would require the Government to take on a broader perspective and consider the impact on different stakeholders, as well as the “repercussions or unintended consequences like black market or smuggling”, said Dr Phua. “We need the whole-of-government approach. It’s not just a public health perspective but… working with the tax authorities, security, enforcement, education, food industries… and coming up with an integrated approach.”

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