MMA president Dr R Muruga Raj said this might be a more effective way of reducing sugar consumption than simply raising the sugar tax first introduced in 2019.

Recently, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah proposed a sugar tax hike to discourage excessive consumption.

According to a 2020 United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation report, Malaysians consume an average of 41.6kg of sugar a year, more than double the 18kg recommended by the World Health Organization.

About 18.3% of Malaysian adults, or 3.9 million people, live with diabetes, according to the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey.

Muruga said efforts to reduce consumption must go beyond adjustments to the sugar tax.

“Of course, increasing the sugar tax is among the steps to discourage its excessive consumption. However, it is not enough to see a change in consumer habits,” he said.

He said incentives and tax rebates given to encourage the production of low-sugar food and more effective public health campaigns must also be considered.

“I feel we have not done enough to educate people, and the continued increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases confirms this.

“Most Malaysians are not even aware of the amount of sugar they consume on a daily basis. Many only realise it when they are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes,” he said.

Muruga also said food sold at school canteens and cafeterias, stalls and restaurant owners should display nutritional facts to help people track their sugar and caloric intake.

Malaysia Consumers Movement secretary-general Sukhdave Singh said even with the sugar tax, the commodity remains among the cheapest in the region due to price controls.

As such, he said, it would be “ridiculous” to expect the tax to have any impact on consumption.

“The government must first lift the ceiling price to raise the price of raw sugar which will force consumers to reduce consumption,” he told FMT.