Exclusive
RECAP: Asia Sentinel Stories for August 2026 RECAP: Asia Sentinel Stories for August 2026 Taiwan’s Habit of Releasing Soldiers’ Full Names Seems Risky Taiwan’s Habit of Releasing Soldiers’ Full Names Seems Risky White House pick to run Venezuela oil deal under investigation in two countries White House pick to run Venezuela oil deal under investigation in two countries
Current Affairs

Indonesia’s new food labels are ‘long overdue’, but can they help fight rising obesity?

Indonesia’s new front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme has been welcomed by health advocates as a long-overdue measure to tackle excessive sugar, salt and fat intake.
But experts…

By Samantha Johnson / April 23, 2026
Indonesia’s new front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme has been welcomed by health advocates as a long-overdue measure to tackle excessive sugar, salt and fat intake.

But experts said the labels were only a first step and would do little on their own to slow Indonesia’s growing burden of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other diet-related diseases.

A decree issued by the health ministry on April 14 requires ready-to-eat food and drink products to carry nutrition labels and health messages on the front of their packaging, as well as on menus, brochures, flyers, food-delivery applications and other promotional materials.

Advertisement

The initiative will initially apply to large-scale drink producers on a voluntary basis before expanding to food categories and becoming mandatory in two years.

Indonesia has chosen a “nutri-level” system similar to Singapore’s Nutri-Grade model, with products graded A, B, C or D.

Advertisement

Green A and B labels indicate products low in sugar, salt and fat, while a red D label signals products high in sugar and saturated fat.

Don't Miss: