Hong Kong resists sugar tax calls

Instead of following a World Health Organisation push for members to introduce levies on added sugar, the territory’s administration will seek to introduce a new food and beverage labelling system, while ramping up healthy food promotion in schools and introducing a pilot scheme to display calorie contents in canteens.

One in five Hongkongers is said to be overweight, prompting authorities to find a response to high sugar consumption.

Yet according to the Standard, a local daily, the Food and Health Bureau has not been swayed by the results of fiscal measures introduced in some countries that have led to “divergent views locally and internationally​” over their success.

Hong Kong been taking a pro-business approach to the sugar debate, with the Secretary for Food and Health openly advocating persuading beverage companies to reduce their sugar content through dialogue.