KUALA LUMPUR – A consumers’ group has urged Putrajaya to implement taxes on “unhealthy food” including instant noodles, as a measure to curb obesity and related health issues relating to non-communicable diseases.
The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) pointed to an Imperial College Business School’s peer-reviewed analysis, which said implementing taxes on foods high in fat, salt, or sugar can reduce the sale, purchase, and consumption of these foods.
“Taxing unhealthy food can lead to lower rates of obesity and other diet-related health problems, especially when combined with subsidies for healthier foods,” CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said in a statement today.
Asserting that a total of 16 countries have implemented such taxes to date, he said Mexico’s 8% tax on non-essential, energy-dense foods such as chocolates and salty snacks resulted in an 18% drop in supermarket sales and up to a 40% reduction in other retailers.
“Low income groups, who consumed more of the taxed foods beforehand, showed the biggest drop in consumption.”
He highlighted that one of the most popular ultra-processed foods in Malaysia is instant noodles, which are cheap, available in various flavours and forms, and cook within minutes.
Noting that the World Instant Noodles Association had ranked Malaysia 13th in global instant noodles consumption in 2023 with 1,640 million servings, Mohideen cautioned that a major concern of ultra-processed food is the potential to cause diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer.
“Over the past few decades, there has been a significant shift from consuming whole or minimally processed foods to ultra-processed foods.
“This shift has been driven by changes in food manufacturing and distribution systems, increased marketing of UPFs, lifestyle changes leading to higher demand for convenience foods, and economic factors making UPFs more affordable and accessible.”
As such, Mohideen proposed that the government consider providing subsidies for healthy, fresh, or minimally processed food for low-income households to make healthier options more affordable.
He also recommended promoting healthy eating habits and providing nutritious meals to students while developing and enforcing stricter regulations on food labelling to ensure consumers can easily identify the nutritional content of purchased products.
Meanwhile, he advised consumers to avoid foods that have been stripped of fibre, contain large quantities of calories, fat, sugar, and salt, or contain a long list of ingredients such as colouring, preservatives, and other additives.
In April, CAP had called on authorities to repeal the 24-hour operating licence given to eateries, claiming that limited access to late-night eating will be healthier for Malaysians.
The proposal, however, was met by brickbats from various quarters, including restaurant operators, who slammed the move as one that denies freedom of choice to consumers, especially night-shift workers and tourists. – August 8, 2024