She said the move was to support the “War on Sugar” campaign led by the health ministry to encourage the public to reduce their sugar intake.

“We will remove items containing sugar from the Rahmah Sale list. No more discounts,” she said, adding that previously, the programme offered discounts ranging from 10% to 30% for sugary items such as sweetened condensed milk.

She was speaking to reporters after launching the “Jom Kosong” initiative here.

Fuziah said the ministry had also requested that the health ministry categorise food items according to their sugar content as part of the advocacy to raise consumer awareness in line with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s intention to reduce the public’s sugar consumption for better health.

On Sunday, Anwar reminded Malaysians to take better care of their health, especially when it comes to sugar consumption.

This is because of the high number of diabetes cases in Malaysia, making it the country with the most cases in Southeast Asia.

The #JomKosong initiative encourages consumers to choose sugar-free beverages in collaboration with local food industry players.

“My ministry will also collaborate with restaurant associations such as the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association, the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association, the Sahabat Tom Yam Prihatin SeMalaysia and Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association,” she said.

Fuziah said negotiations with food and beverage operators to sell sugar-free beverages at lower prices were under way, with most of them giving positive feedback.