Thailand’s Department of Health has launched a new sugar standard today, February 11, reducing the "normal sweet" level in beverages to 50% of the original recipe. This initiative, a collaborative effort with nine major beverage brands like Café Amazon and Black Canyon, aims to curb excessive sugar intake by adjusting the default sweetness in drinks. Customers will now receive drinks significantly reduced in sugar content when ordering at the standard sweetness level.

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This policy change addresses the prior issue of default sugar levels in beverages surpassing health recommendations, which has contributed to rising cases of weight gain and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Previously, a 16-ounce iced coffee contained about 7.3 teaspoons of sugar, which will now be reduced to 3.7 teaspoons. Similarly, Thai iced tea will see its sugar content drop from 6.6 to 3.3 teaspoons.

The Department of Health detailed the benefits of reduced sugar, emphasizing improved skin health, energy stability, and reduced abdominal fat. They highlighted how the new measure can slow aging by preventing glycation, and enhance mental focus by stabilizing blood sugar levels. Additionally, retraining taste buds to enjoy less processed foods is anticipated, potentially reducing strain on metabolic organs and lowering the risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes.

According to the department, adjusting to these changes can initially be challenging, as sweet taste receptors regenerate every 14 days. They advise persistence for consumers adjusting to the new sugar levels, suggesting that beverages may not taste "delicious" at first but will become more palatable over time, reported The Thaiger.

Key Takeaways

• Thailand’s new measure cuts default sugar content in drinks by 50%.

• The initiative targets better health outcomes and reduced NCDs.

• Adjustment to new sweetness levels may take time for consumers.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Thaiger · 11 Feb 2026

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Will this be a mandatory content or just sugar content recommended level ?

Thai's have a predilection for extreme sweet foods that IMHO will be difficult to discourage.

Worst outcome could be addition of artificial sweeteners in compensation but inevitably causing an alternate health issue.

There is growing evidence that the natural response to artificial sweeteners is little different to cane sugar with regard to diabetic concerns.

I always ordered Less Sweet, so now will it be even less?

Way back when, I used to enjoy an iced coffee while out and about, until one day I watched a street vendor pour in half a tin of condensed milk followed by two large scoops of sugar.

It was the last time I bought an iced coffee in Thailand.

I make my own at home now: coffee, water, and ice. It didn't take long to get used to the change in flavour.

9 hours ago, Yagoda said:

I always ordered Less Sweet, so now will it be even less?

You're already sweet enough 😅

I will believe it when I see and taste it.

6 hours ago, VR333 said:

Way back when, I used to enjoy an iced coffee while out and about, until one day I watched a street vendor pour in half a tin of condensed milk followed by two large scoops of sugar.

It was the last time I bought an iced coffee in Thailand.

I make my own at home now: coffee, water, and ice. It didn't take long to get used to the change in flavour.

FYI You can simply tell the street vendor or the staff at Amazon cafe etc to put in less sugar for as long as I can remember. WAN haaa sip. There you go 50% less sugar for you.

6 hours ago, VR333 said:

Way back when, I used to enjoy an iced coffee while out and about, until one day I watched a street vendor pour in half a tin of condensed milk followed by two large scoops of sugar.

It was the last time I bought an iced coffee in Thailand.

I make my own at home now: coffee, water, and ice. It didn't take long to get used to the change in flavour.

I drink iced coffee most days in cafes/7/11s I just say no sugar no milk although I get some strange looks sometimes from the staff.

I welcome any initiative to reduce the added sugar intake in Thailand and hope that it will soon spread to food and bakery as well.

Monk fruit sweetener is very pricey - 150 Baht for a small bag.

You can't expect people to move away from the crappy white sugar with the alternatives being so expensive.

Eat fruit if you have a sweet tooth instead of sugary drinks.

They'll cut down on sugar, and add sweetener.

So many manufacturers can't comprehend that people actually WANT it less sweet.

1 hour ago, Andyfez said:

They'll cut down on sugar, and add sweetener.

So many manufacturers can't comprehend that people actually WANT it less sweet.

Yes yes yes. I have thrown away so many drinks with reduced or zero sugar written on the side. Because they are still horribly sweet.

I wanted something far less sweet and they did not give me that.

Here's the thing, I'm not saying Thais would cheat, or deceive,(/s) but here's what could happen... rewrite your recipe, with double the amount of sugar, then using 50% you are back to what you had, not changes, no retraining staff, etc.

I wonder if this means that the 3 in 1 powdered drinks will also have the sugar reduced by 50%. They might actually be at an acceptable sweetness level then.

I'm not a coffee drinker but when I order a fruit shake I always tell them to put very little sugar in it, and they seem to be fine with that.

What really boggles my mind is that people continue to drink Coke and Pepsi and similar beverages which have enormous amounts of sugar. 14 teaspoons is the average. That can give you permanent diabetes.

And the junk that claims no sugar is usually laboratory produce sugar, most of which is highly toxic. Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, erythritol has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar.

But research suggests this widely used sweetener may be quietly undermining one of the body's most crucial protective barriers – with potentially serious consequences for heart health and stroke risk.

https://share.google/5461MU5gOFQfILhBr

20 hours ago, Yagoda said:

I always ordered Less Sweet, so now will it be even less?

I'm sweet enough.

In a restaurant a few weeks ago I ordered a cold cocoa drink and asked for not much sugar. It was still sweet AF. I usually get beer or cold water. I avoid sodas and suchlike.

23 hours ago, Yagoda said:

I always ordered Less Sweet, so now will it be even less?

I always state no sugar when ordering any food , the women in the local "restaurants" around my neck of the woods had been hearing this from me for years yet still looked at me as if I'm crazy, I ended up telling them I was diabetic even that didn't make much difference

I do have a sweet tooth and sugar is fine by me in its place, Chocolate , Cake , Ice Cream, Cookies , I love em all but I don't want any sugar in my Tea , Coffee , or on/ in any real food,

6 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I always state no sugar when ordering any food , the women in the local "restaurants" around my neck of the woods had been hearing this from me for years yet still looked at me as if I'm crazy, I ended up telling them I was diabetic even that didn't make much difference

I do have a sweet tooth and sugar is fine by me in its place, Chocolate , Cake , Ice Cream, Cookies , I love em all but I don't want any sugar in my Tea , Coffee , or on/ in any real food,

The funny thing is, I always found a lot of the pastries in Thailand and Cambodia to be less sweet than in the US

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I'm not a coffee drinker but when I order a fruit shake I always tell them to put very little sugar in it, and they seem to be fine with that.

What really boggles my mind is that people continue to drink Coke and Pepsi and similar beverages which have enormous amounts of sugar. 14 teaspoons is the average. That can give you permanent diabetes.

And the junk that claims no sugar is usually laboratory produce sugar, most of which is highly toxic. Found in everything from protein bars to energy drinks, erythritol has long been considered a safe alternative to sugar.

But research suggests this widely used sweetener may be quietly undermining one of the body's most crucial protective barriers – with potentially serious consequences for heart health and stroke risk.

https://share.google/5461MU5gOFQfILhBr

If you had to avoid sugar at all costs, the only way you would manage it would be to prepare all your own food from scratch, Even then one would have to remain alert sugar, is virtually everywhere often where one would least expect it,tins of baked beans for example,

Call me a cynic but its not beyond the realms of possibility that the key players in the food industry may have been aware of this for some time , and could easily have changed their recipes in advance to allow for this and will just keep churning out the same junk.

no point in attempting to verify their compliance using the ingredients list , unless one is blessed with eyes that can read micro print

There is probably a lot worse than sugar in some of the rubbish available from the super market and don't even think about the soft drinks and "confectionery" sold to kids outside the school

8 hours ago, alex8912 said:

FYI You can simply tell the street vendor or the staff at Amazon cafe etc to put in less sugar for as long as I can remember. WAN haaa sip. There you go 50% less sugar for you.

pity you can't ask them for 50% less Ice too,

About time something is being done.

On 2/12/2026 at 1:09 PM, loong said:

I wonder if this means that the 3 in 1 powdered drinks will also have the sugar reduced by 50%. They might actually be at an acceptable sweetness level then.

Personally I find the 3 in 1 "coffees" undrinkable and about as far from tasting anything like coffee as anything I can imagine, by removing half the sugar just think how much they could save on packaging ,too

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

Personally I find the 3 in 1 "coffees" undrinkable and about as far from tasting anything like coffee as anything I can imagine, by removing half the sugar just think how much they could save on packaging ,too

It’s a milky sugary drink with a grain of coffee added.

9 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

It’s a milky sugary drink with a grain of coffee added.

"coffee" I doubt any actual coffee has been anywhere near it , probably some man made coffee flavoured chemical.