Singapore has stepped up its war on diabetes by planning a total ban on advertisements promoting sugary packaged drinks (S'pore to ban ads of packaged drinks with very high sugar, Oct 11).

To combat diabetes, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) should consider targeting bubble tea.

Studies have shown these drinks to have extremely high amounts of sugar. For instance, a recent test conducted by Temasek Polytechnic students found that a 500ml cup of brown sugar boba tea has 18.5 teaspoons of sugar and a 500ml cup of bubble milk tea a whopping 20.5 teaspoons.

As most bubble tea shops allow customers to choose their preferred sweetness level, HPB could work with these shops to educate the public.

Informative posters on how much sugar is in the drinks could be displayed in these shops. Hopefully, this will help consumers make healthier and wiser choices.

Lavinia Tsai Qi En, 15

Secondary 3 student