Sarawakians consume 66,600kg of sugar a day: Ministry

Sarawakians consume 66,600kg of sugar a day: Ministry

SIBU: Sarawakians consume an alarming 66.6 metric tons (MT)) or 66,600kg of sugar daily, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) Sibu branch deputy chief Geoffrey Gumalang said yesterday.


Describing the figure as worrying, Geoffrey warned that excessive intake of sugar could give rise to some 60 kinds of health complications.

“Malaysia is among countries having the most people suffering from obesity in Asia,” he told The Borneo Post.

Malaysia is also ranked fourth highest in Asia in terms of diabetics, he said, cautioning that taking excessive sugar had caused one out of every three persons to suffer from hypertension.

In this connection, he said , the ministry would roll out a ‘reduce sugar intake campaign’ to create a heightened awareness among the public of the consequences of consuming excessive sugar.

Organised by MDTCC in collaboration with the Sibu Health Department and the Information Department, the programme will be held on March 7.

The campaign will be from 10am till 9pm at Sing Kwong Supermarket, Jalan Salim and will be launched by Minister of Environment and Public Health Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh.

Asked on the objective of the programme, Geoffrey said it was primarily aimed at creating a heightened awareness of healthy lifestyle.

He also said the intention was to expose the dangers of posed by food items with high sugar content.

“We hope through this, the public will be better aware about the negative effects of having high sugar content in their foods and drinks,” he pointed out, adding that it was to educate consumers to be mindful about ready food items in the market.

Among others, there will be a free health check for the public.

As such, public can have their blood pressure checked apart from the checking of sugar level in their blood, cholesterol and so forth.

On the sidelines of the programme, a host of fun-filled activities have been prepared such as colouring contest and lucky draws.

The colouring contest is open to children aged between four and six.

Attractive prizes await winners of a lucky draw.