Action against fast food outlets

NST: LABIS: The Health Ministry will soon act against fast food outlets which use excessive salt and sugar in their food products.
Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the ministry was doing a study to determine the exact salt requirement for Malaysians.
"Once we find out the actual level of our salt requirement, we can take action against fast food outlets that use excessive salt and sugar.
"We already know that our daily sugar requirement is 50gm, although Malaysians today are taking an average of about 125gm daily."
Dr Chua, who was speaking after launching the State level Healthy Diet campaign here yesterday, added: "Initial studies have shown that Malaysians generally over-indulge themselves with food that is excessively sweet, salty or fatty.
"However, the government hopes to tackle this problem by first determining the required level of sugar, salt and fat for a healthy Malaysian diet."
In his speech, Dr Chua said a 2005 study had shown that 35.8 per cent of adults in Johor faced weight problems, while 18.1 per cent suffered from obesity.
He said the study also showed that 26 per cent of mothers faced weight problems,while 11.4 per cent were obese.
Dr Chua added that staying slim through a balanced diet and regular exercise could prevent diseases like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sleep apnea and asthma.