Indonesia to mandate high-sugar warning labels on food and drinks amid rising diet-related disease crisis

Indonesia is preparing to introduce mandatory high-sugar warning labels on food and beverage packaging, as authorities respond to a growing public health crisis driven by unhealthy diets and rising rates of non-communicable diseases.

The plan, announced on Monday, 9 February 2026, marks one of the government’s most significant regulatory moves to reshape consumer behaviour and encourage healthier food consumption across Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Officials say the policy reflects mounting evidence that excessive intake of sugar, salt and fat has become a leading contributor to death and disability in the country, where processed and packaged foods have become increasingly dominant in everyday diets.

Government moves towards mandatory sugar warnings

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan said food and beverage producers will soon be required to place high-sugar labels on product packaging so consumers can better understand health risks.

“Foods and beverages with high sugar content will be labelled so people know the risks of consuming them,” Zulkifli told reporters in Jakarta following an inter-ministerial meeting discussing implementation of Government Regulation No. 1 of 2026 on Food Safety.

A cross-agency team has been established to define technical criteria determining which products must carry high-sugar warnings. The regulation is part of a broader push to address Indonesia’s worsening public health indicators.

Zulkifli argued that dietary factors, particularly sugar consumption, play a major role in Indonesia’s mortality patterns.

“Health conditions in Indonesia require serious attention. Excess sugar consumption is among the main contributors to disease,” he said.

Health authorities warn of rising disease burden

The head of Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), Taruna Ikrar, echoed those concerns, stating that sugar, salt and fat consumption are key drivers behind diseases responsible for the highest mortality rates in the country.

He pointed to stroke, diabetes and certain cancers as conditions strongly associated with unhealthy diets.

Taruna explained that excess sugar intake contributes to fat accumulation in the body, which can lead to atherosclerosis — the narrowing and hardening of arteries that increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

BPOM is now tasked with drafting technical regulations governing high-sugar warnings and broader nutrition grading systems.

These rules will be harmonised with policies under the ministries of trade, industry and agriculture, as well as industry associations.

Taruna said regulations are expected to be finalised this year, but implementation will include a transition period allowing manufacturers time to adjust packaging and product formulations.

He emphasised that standards will follow international benchmarks rather than negotiation with industry players.

“There are parameters based on international standards,” he said, referring to Codex Alimentarius guidelines developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Indonesia’s growing nutrition crisis

The move comes amid alarming data showing rapid dietary changes across Indonesia.

According to WHO, processed foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and salt now dominate national food consumption patterns.

Sugary drinks, instant noodles and packaged snacks have become popular because they are cheap, convenient and heavily marketed.

Health consequences have been severe.

Diet-related risk factors now rank as the third largest contributor to death and disability in Indonesia.

More than half of heart disease deaths are linked to unhealthy diets, alongside nearly one-third of stroke deaths and almost one-fifth of diabetes-related deaths.

Obesity rates among adults have risen sharply over the past decade, increasing from 15.4 per cent to 23.4 per cent.

Among adolescents, nearly one in five is now overweight.

Equally worrying, almost half of Indonesians aged above three consume more than one sugary drink daily, while only around 3 per cent of people meet recommended fruit and vegetable intake levels.

Public health experts say these patterns are pushing the healthcare system towards a long-term crisis, particularly as chronic diseases require costly lifelong treatment.

Broader regulatory reforms underway

The sugar-label requirement forms part of a wider regulatory overhaul already set in motion under Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024, which gave authorities two years to implement measures aimed at improving the national food environment.

These reforms include mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling, menu labelling for ready-to-eat foods, product reformulation targets to reduce sugar, salt and fat, marketing restrictions for unhealthy foods, and potential excise taxes on harmful products.

WHO has worked with Indonesian authorities to develop sodium reduction targets for processed foods and draft marketing restrictions aligned with international best practice.

Officials hope these measures will gradually reshape consumer habits and encourage manufacturers to develop healthier products.

Debate over labelling models

Indonesia is still debating which front-of-pack labelling model will ultimately be adopted.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin previously announced plans for a “Nutri-Level” system inspired by Singapore’s Nutri-Grade scheme, categorising products from healthiest to least healthy based on sugar, salt and fat content.

However, implementation has been delayed as regulators review technical details and industry readiness.

Public health advocacy groups argue that warning labels — rather than colour-coded grades — are more effective in discouraging consumption of unhealthy products.

Research in Latin America and Southeast Asia shows that clear warning symbols reduce purchase intentions for high-sugar foods more effectively than informational labels alone. Studies also indicate such policies do not significantly harm food industry employment or economic activity.

Indonesian research in 2025 found warning labels helped adolescents identify unhealthy foods and influenced purchasing decisions.

Industry adjustment and consumer impact

For manufacturers, the regulation may require costly product reformulation and packaging changes, but officials argue it also creates opportunities for healthier product innovation.

Authorities say reformulation targets and labelling transparency can encourage competition around healthier offerings rather than merely restricting sales.

Consumers, meanwhile, may soon see clearer warnings on packaged drinks, snacks and other processed foods that dominate urban retail shelves.

Public health specialists stress that labelling alone will not solve Indonesia’s nutrition challenges, but it represents an important step toward empowering consumers.