Thailand strikes to chop sugar in well-liked drinks amid well being drive | Thailand

A crowd of consumers, 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 tip product – a deep orange, creamy deal with – is poured right into a plastic bag full of ice.

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

The Thai authorities, nevertheless, is attempting to scale 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-about “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 devour a mean of 21 teaspoons of sugar a day – way over the World Well being Group’s advisable day by day restrict of six teaspoons.

Sugary drinks are a significant offender, with Thailand traditionally being one in every of Asia’s greatest shoppers of energy from sweetened drinks.

Thailand has taken different steps to deal with sugar, together with a sugar tax, which was launched regularly from 2017, with the final section rolled out final 12 months. This targets pre-packaged sugary drinks.

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

Nonetheless, the tax doesn’t have an effect on road distributors or cafes, the place menus are filled with a stunning 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 tougher to manage.

The newest authorities initiative will embody a few of the nation’s greatest 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 troublesome to keep away from candy issues when shopping for meals and drinks.

It’s doable to retrain your sweetness preferences so that you want much less sugar, Thumthong stated, including that she has change 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 a substitute,” she stated.

Phumsith Mahasuweerachai, affiliate professor on the school of economics in Khon Kaen College, stated it was doable to encourage prospects to make higher selections even with easy changes. He carried out 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 info didn’t considerably change their selections, he added.

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

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 devour it very incessantly – I’d devour 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 staff and college students stretches out the door. The store has at all times been well-liked, she says, however has change into particularly well-known amongst overseas guests due to social media.

“The the reason why these drinks are well-liked is due to their robust, intense style,” she says. “With out sugar, the espresso and tea shall be bland and bitter.”