Malaysia needs to urgently control obesity rates

Photo: Filepic/The Star

THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) calls on the authorities to ban the sale of sugary drinks from vending machines in hospitals, schools and other public places.

We make the call following actions taken by Western Australian authorities to institute such a ban as part of their measures to combat obesity. Under the policy, all vending machines and retail outlets, including cafés, gift shops and kiosks, are not allowed to sell sugar-sweetened drinks that have low or no nutritional value. The sugary drinks include soft drinks, iced tea, energy and sports drinks and some fruit juices, flavoured waters, and milks.