Thailand strikes to chop sugar in standard drinks amid well being drive

[ad_1] A crowd of shoppers, holding telephones aloft, watch intently as Auntie Nid mixes up her bestseller: an iced Thai tea.

Condensed milk is poured right into a glass, adopted by three heaped tablespoons of sugar, after which freshly strained tea. The top product – a deep orange, creamy deal with – is poured right into a plastic bag crammed with ice.

“I need to spoil my prospects,” says Auntie Nid, 68, who prefers to be recognized by her nickname.

The Thai authorities, nonetheless, is making an attempt to cut back the quantity of sugar added to the nation’s hottest drinks.

This month, 9 of the nation’s main espresso chains dedicated to halving the quantity of sugar that's thought of “regular sweetness” in a few of their drinks as a part of a brand new marketing campaign to reset folks’s style buds and enhance public well being.

Thai folks eat a median of 21 teaspoons of sugar a day – excess of the World Well being Group’s really useful every day restrict of six teaspoons.

Sugary drinks are a serious wrongdoer, with Thailand traditionally being one in every of Asia’s largest shoppers of energy from sweetened drinks.

Thailand has taken different steps to deal with sugar, together with a sugar tax, which was launched progressively from 2017, with the final part rolled out final yr. This targets pre-packaged sugary drinks.

The tax has helped, stated Pojjana Hunchangsith, assistant professor at Mahidol College. “One of many largest impacts has been product reformulation, with many producers decreasing sugar ranges to keep away from increased tax price,” she stated.

Nevertheless, the tax doesn't have an effect on avenue distributors or cafes, the place menus are filled with a blinding array of candy choices – from boba milk teas and iced cocoa, to lemon tea and pink milk, a Thai drink created from sala syrup. “They're essential sources of sugar consumption in Thailand,” Pojjana added, however freshly made drinks are far harder to control.

The most recent authorities initiative will embody among the nation’s largest cafe chains. Many retailers already show playing cards providing prospects completely different ranges of sweetness: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Beneath the brand new marketing campaign, for sure drinks, 100% sweetness shall be half as sugary because it as soon as was.

Ann Thumthong, 55, a taxi driver in Bangkok, welcomes the measures, saying it's tough to keep away from candy issues when shopping for meals and drinks.

It's attainable to retrain your sweetness preferences so that you want much less sugar, Thumthong stated, including that she has develop into extra well being acutely aware with age. “For me, up to now, once I completed the meal I went straight for the desert, however now I go for fruits as an alternative,” she stated.

Phumsith Mahasuweerachai, affiliate professor on the college of economics in Khon Kaen College, stated it was attainable to encourage prospects to make higher decisions even with easy changes. He performed a research, which discovered that merely giving prospects the choice to decide on how candy their drinks can be prompted them to go for much less sugary drinks. Offering calorie data didn't considerably change their decisions, he added.

“If we don’t nudge [customers] or immediate them, it’s tough for them to make the change,” he stated. “They go to the espresso store and it’s computerized.”

At Auntie Nid’s store, buyer Phakamas, 39, has simply purchased an iced cocoa on her lunch break, a reduction within the Bangkok warmth.

“I feel consuming sugar is OK, I don’t eat it very continuously – I'd eat a cup or two in the course of the week,” she says.

Auntie Nid, whose store has served teas and coffees in Bangkok’s outdated city for 30 years, can’t comprehend altering her recipe.

“No, no, no,” she says, as a queue of vacationers, in addition to some locals employees and college students stretches out the door. The store has all the time been standard, she says, however has develop into particularly well-known amongst overseas guests because of social media.

“The the explanation why these drinks are standard is due to their sturdy, intense style,” she says. “With out sugar, the espresso and tea shall be bland and bitter.”