Sugar tax for better health - are we ready to bell the cat?

IN 2014, Singapore launched the Healthy Living Master Plan, a programme led by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) aimed at making healthy living accessible, natural and effortless for all.

As part of the plan, the HPB partnered the food and beverage industry to make lower-calorie meals a prominent part of their offerings, but this has not stopped roughly 60 per cent of Singaporeans from consuming two or more sweetened drinks per day.

If the intake of sugary drinks is not contained, it can lead to obesity and future health complications such as Type 2 diabetes. An estimated 1.7 million Singaporeans are already at risk of obesity-related diseases - they have a Body Mass Index of at least 23.

Obesity is a major contributing factor to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease which can affect the quality of life and lead to significant morbidity and mort…