Health officials seek ban on sugary drink adverts to fix country’s sweet tooth

After the debate on advertising of booze, officials are now eyeing sweet drinks.

The Department of Health plans to place controls on promotion of sugary beverages — green tea and soft drinks, to be exact — after a recent report shows Thais consume an alarming amount of sugar each day.

The control of adverts will be proposed to the Consumer Protection Board and the Food and Drug Administration because an average Thai currently consumes 26 teaspoons of sugar per day — four times more than the amount recommended by World Health Organization, said Dr. Sutha Jienmaneechotchai, deputy director-general of The Health Department.

Green tea and soft drinks, which contain an unhealthy amount of sugar, often use marketing techniques such as giving away cars or gold to encourage people to consume more of their products.

Although the high level of sugar content in the manufactured beverages can be harmful to health, Dr. Sutha said that the intake of sugar from unprocessed foods such as rice and fruits should not be damaging, Bangkok Post reported.

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