Free Drinking Water Could Help Reduce Sugar Intake, NCD Burden - Galen Centre

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- Providing free drinking water at restaurants and food premises could be a simple but effective public health measure to reduce sugar consumption and help to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), according to the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy.

Its chief executive officer, Azrul Mohd Khalib, said Malaysia’s health concerns are not solely driven by excessive food intake, but also by the high consumption of sugary beverages.

Referring to findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, he stressed that one in five adults in Malaysia did not drink enough plain water daily, while other national nutrition data showed that sugar-sweetened beverages remain deeply embedded in Malaysians’ diets.

“More than half of Malaysian adults are now overweight or obese, while one in five are living with diabetes. More children are also becoming affected by obesity. This increases the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and cancer, while also contributing to premature deaths,” he said in a statement today.

He noted that the issue also places greater pressure on families, employers, insurers and the public health system through rising healthcare costs.

According to Azrul, limited access to free drinking water, especially when it is highly priced, could influence customers to opt for sugar-sweetened beverages, flavoured drinks, carbonated drinks, milk teas, juices and other high-calorie options.

Therefore, he called on the government and local authorities, especially the Ministry of Health, to introduce legislation or official licensing requirements requiring all restaurants and licensed food establishments to provide drinking water to customers at no charge, as part of efforts to encourage water as the default beverage choice.

He also noted that while providing free drinking water alone would not solve the NCD crisis, it was an important baseline measure to create a healthier food environment.

“Other countries have already shown that this is possible. Spain requires bars and restaurants to offer free tap water. In the United Kingdom, licensed premises that serve alcohol must provide free tap water on request where reasonably available,” he said.

“Customers should not have to pay extra just to choose the healthiest drink. Making free drinking water available in restaurants is one of the simplest public health interventions we can implement. It is practical, affordable and fair. We can do it today. Let’s make the healthy choice the easy choice,” he added.

--BERNAMA