The Thai government is further strengthening its campaign to reduce sugar consumption in order to protect public health. According to The Guardian, in February nine major coffee shop chains in the country agreed to cut the sweetness of their drinks by at least half.
The reason is that people in Thailand consume an average of 21 teaspoons of sugar per day. This is far above the level recommended by the World Health Organization — 6 teaspoons a day. The main “culprit” is sweet beverages: from iced Thai tea to tapioca milk tea and various “milk” drinks.
There is a tax, but not everywhere
Since 2017, Thailand has been introducing a sugar tax on packaged drinks step by step. The final stage was implemented in 2025 and was aimed specifically at the packaged beverage segment.
The results are visible: many manufacturers changed their recipes and reduced sugar content to avoid higher tax rates. However, this tax did not apply to new drinks prepared “on the spot” by street vendors and in cafés. Experts emphasize that this segment remains a major source of sugar intake, but regulating it is much more complicated.
What the new rule brings
The latest initiative covers the largest café chains. Some shops already allow customers to choose the level of sweetness: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%.
Under the new regulation, “100% sweetness” for some drinks will be half of what “100%” used to be. In other words, even if it says 100% on the menu, the taste will no longer be the same “sugar bomb.”
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