SINGAPORE: Singapore will ban advertisements of certain fizzy drinks and juices, its health ministry said on Thursday, part of a raft of measures to curb consumption of sugar in the city-state, which has some of the world’s highest diabetes rates.

Under the measures, further details of which will be released next year, high-sugar drinks will also be required to bear health warnings on labels.

Singapore’s action appears to go further than measures in other countries such as Mexico and Britain, which restrict when advertisements for high-calorie food and drinks can be shown on television to limit their exposure to children.

Singapore is also considering taxes on sugary drink makers and importers, and even a total ban on the sale of some beverages, the ministry said.

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

Wealthy Singapore has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world, partly caused by its fast-ageing population and a culture of eating out at inexpensive hawker centres.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2019