Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks • Hacker News Board

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#51

Post by Someone1234 » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:09 PM UTC

xhruso00 wrote: post #43

"In addition to an ad ban, the ministry announced that sugary drinks would also be required to display a color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label to list nutritional quality and sugar content." I like Japanese/Taiwanese approach which list percentage of fruit juice (front-of-pack). And manufacturers can't cheat with substitutes like apple cause it doesn't count. This is way more useful for consumers to decide what…

The UK has a similar "traffic light" system[0] on their foods. I cannot speak to everyone, but for me seeing red salt makes me look again at other options. It is a gentle nudge but helps.

By contrast US food labeling is an anti-pattern. "Serving size" seems arbitrary and makes it impossible to compare foods even directly next to one another on the shelf (plus they're intentionally unrealistic, like a single chocolate bar having two "servings").

[0] https://assets.bupa.co.uk/~/media/images/healthmanagement/to...

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#52

Post by kgwgk » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:09 PM UTC

yifanl wrote: post #47

kgwgk wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Food consumption is a leading cause of obesity so maybe all the food, beverages and restaurants ads should be banned.

Why would food or drinks need advertisement? These are products that have literally infinite demand, nobody can live without them.

Demand for food is not infinite (maybe the word you were looking for was inelastic?). And even if you don’t need ads to create demand for “food” that is a broad category with many competing products from many competing providers.

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#53

Post by Ididntdothis » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:10 PM UTC

throwaway07Ju19 wrote: post #35

noir_lord wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's weird, I rode motorbikes off road as a teenager and wouldn't have dreamed of not wearing a helmet, heavy boots and gloves etc. Just bought a new bike to commute to new job (starting on a 125 and working my way up since not been on a bike for 20 odd years) and while a helmet was thrown in it'll be the first upgrade after proper jacket/pants. I still don't get why it's even a debate, I've cracked two bicycle helme…

This is like saying you don't get why some men don't always wear condoms. For some, riding without a helmet is vastly more pleasurable and thrilling.

this is something I don't get. How is getting hit by bugs and rocks more pleasurable?

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#54

Post by jingfire » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:10 PM UTC

Bravo for Singapore govs! Instead of relying on people not digesting too much sugars, they make the policy surveyed on people to discourage the sugar access, reducing the diabetes risks.

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#55

Post by leppemd9 » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:13 PM UTC

mark_l_watson wrote: post #2

Usually I am for freedom to do anything you want as long as it does not impact other people. I am OK though with banning ads for sugary drinks because society pays a high medical cost for damage due to excess sugar addiction/use. This is like forcing motor cycle riders to wear helmets. BTW, I worked in Singapore for a while in 2016. Wonderful place! People just seemed happy there, from business people to laborers. If…

Not just health costs, but environment too. Why must we collectively be ok with enabling a profit margin on sugar water that requires factories, immense material resources to transport (cans, bottles) and prioritized placement in global distribution?

The entire grift of the last few decades has been “externalize costs of our mess on the next generation for massive profit.” That’s unheard of. Until the last ~100 years the previous generations messes removed themselves in decades. Ours is such that it may wipe out the species

I am very OK with the masses having direct control over how the global trade system we collectively build is allowed to impact the one planet humans can survive on.

All that production and disposal of aluminum & plastic to carry sugar water one can make at home with simple syrup and flavoring.

At some point we have to force ourselves to look beyond the emotional masturbation we’ve all been subjected to by TV & parents if society is going to move along.

That’s exactly how’s it’s moved along in the past. A true free market of ideas demands it.

We need to get nation states on board and in order to do that must tell aristocrats that the future has no place for them.

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#56

Post by Noumenon72 » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:13 PM UTC

xhruso00 wrote: post #43

"In addition to an ad ban, the ministry announced that sugary drinks would also be required to display a color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label to list nutritional quality and sugar content." I like Japanese/Taiwanese approach which list percentage of fruit juice (front-of-pack). And manufacturers can't cheat with substitutes like apple cause it doesn't count. This is way more useful for consumers to decide what…

Fruit juice is different from sugar water in some ways (for example, apple juice has sorbitol, which promotes bowel movement), but in my view the differences don't matter and they should both be covered under this ban. That much sugar with no bulk is just unnatural and should be viewed as a dessert.

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#57

Post by cornstalks » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:15 PM UTC

Ididntdothis wrote: post #53

throwaway07Ju19 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is like saying you don't get why some men don't always wear condoms. For some, riding without a helmet is vastly more pleasurable and thrilling.

this is something I don't get. How is getting hit by bugs and rocks more pleasurable?

My favorite is getting throat-punched by a big juicy bug at 70 miles per hour. But yeah, getting one of those in the face (and near/in the eye especially) is something you do not want to happen.

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#58

Post by jakelazaroff » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:16 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #51

xhruso00 wrote: post #43

"In addition to an ad ban, the ministry announced that sugary drinks would also be required to display a color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label to list nutritional quality and sugar content." I like Japanese/Taiwanese approach which list percentage of fruit juice (front-of-pack). And manufacturers can't cheat with substitutes like apple cause it doesn't count. This is way more useful for consumers to decide what…

The UK has a similar "traffic light" system[0] on their foods. I cannot speak to everyone, but for me seeing red salt makes me look again at other options. It is a gentle nudge but helps. By contrast US food labeling is an anti-pattern. "Serving size" seems arbitrary and makes it impossible to compare foods even directly next to one another on the shelf (plus they're intentionally unrealistic, like a single chocolate…

It would be so simple to fix the serving size issue, too: just force labels to list nutrition information for the whole thing as well as per serving!

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#59

Post by qwerty456127 » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:16 PM UTC

They should also penalize gluten-containing products (and that's not just foods, e.g. shampoo may contain gluten too). Google zonulin, leaky gut, wheat belly and microbiome diet to find out why.

Re: Singapore to become first country banning ads on sugary drinks

#60

Post by OrgNet » Sun, Oct 13, 2019, 5:17 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #51

xhruso00 wrote: post #43

"In addition to an ad ban, the ministry announced that sugary drinks would also be required to display a color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition label to list nutritional quality and sugar content." I like Japanese/Taiwanese approach which list percentage of fruit juice (front-of-pack). And manufacturers can't cheat with substitutes like apple cause it doesn't count. This is way more useful for consumers to decide what…

The UK has a similar "traffic light" system[0] on their foods. I cannot speak to everyone, but for me seeing red salt makes me look again at other options. It is a gentle nudge but helps. By contrast US food labeling is an anti-pattern. "Serving size" seems arbitrary and makes it impossible to compare foods even directly next to one another on the shelf (plus they're intentionally unrealistic, like a single chocolate…

And in the US, they started using 3 "different kinds of sugars" to make sugar appear lower on the list of ingredients that are sorted by quantity... i.e.: sugar, high fructose corn syrup & corn syrup