PETALING JAYA: Improved food labelling, regulating or banning junk food advertisements, as well as a sugar tax, can help address rising obesity rates in the country, says the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (Maso).
The association, which is part of the World Obesity Day Global Advisory Group, said Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) could help consumers make healthier choices.
“Research from countries including Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Canada highlights that clear, mandatory FOPL encourages the reformulation of unhealthy products, and supports national efforts to reduce obesity rates.”
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Maso said strict regulation needs to be introduced on junk food advertising, especially those targeting children.
The association said global evidence shows that implementing sugar taxes effectively reduces sugar consumption, obesity rates and related diseases.
“Countries such as Mexico, the UK and South Africa have demonstrated the positive impacts of sugar taxes on both public health and government revenue.”
Malaysia currently imposes a tax of 90 sen per litre on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Maso said healthy school nutrition programmes can also help lower childhood obesity rates.
“Comprehensive school nutrition policies have also helped these countries improve academic performance and establish healthier lifelong eating habits through nutritious school meals and strong food education.”
The association said Malaysia has recognised obesity as a serious public health issue for more than two decades.
This has led to the development of various national policies and action plans that include the National Plan of Action for Nutrition of Malaysia, the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases, the National Physical Activity Guidelines, Healthy Cafeteria Initiatives, Healthy School Programmes, and the introduction of the sugar tax in 2019.
Despite these efforts, Maso said enforcement and implementation have been inconsistent.
“Ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks are still widely accessible and heavily marketed, while multi-sectoral collaboration across ministries including health, education, agriculture and urban planning often lacks effective coordination and shared accountability,” they said.
They added that lower-income communities face additional barriers such as limited access to recreational spaces, time constraints and the higher cost of healthy food.
“Existing policies also focus too heavily on individual behaviour change rather than addressing the root causes, such as creating healthier food environments and improving urban design.
“Malaysia has yet to fully leverage digital health solutions to support obesity prevention and management,” they said, adding that these issues need to be addressed and improved.
