A too sweet environment? An analysis of the energy and sugar content of beverages in urban schools setting in Surabaya
Abstract
ABSTRAK
Latar belakang: Prevalensi intoleransi glukosa oral pada remaja Indonesia yang mencapai 16,8%, memunculkan kekhawatiran terkait lingkungan yang membentuk pilihan minuman harian remaja, khususnya di lingkungan sekolah. Kantin sekolah sering menyediakan minuman dengan kandungan gula tambahan dan energi yang tinggi, namun rendah zat gizi esensial.
Tujuan: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi jenis minuman yang dijual di kantin sekolah di wilayah perkotaan dan menilai kandungan gizinya.
Metodologi: Penelitian ini merupakan studi deskriptif potong lintang yang dilakukan di dua sekolah menengah atas negeri di Surabaya, Jawa Timur. Sebanyak 478 sampel minuman dianalisis. Data diperoleh melalui wawancara dengan penjual kantin untuk mengumpulkan informasi mengenai resep minuman dan melalui informasi label nilai gizi produk kemasan. Kandungan gula dan energi dihitung per porsi penyajian.
Hasil: Terdapat sepuluh jenis minuman yang dijual di kantin, meliputi teh, minuman berbasis susu, minuman tradisional Indonesia, minuman cokelat, dan minuman bersoda. Minuman berbasis susu dan minuman tradisional memiliki rata-rata kandungan energi tertinggi (141,39±33,87 kkal dan 138,28±51,15 kkal), sedangkan minuman dengan perisa buatan memiliki energi terendah (44,26±13,96 kkal). Minuman tradisional juga memiliki kadar gula tertinggi (24,17±8,78 g/porsi), melebihi rekomendasi WHO.
Kesimpulan: Kantin sekolah di wilayah perkotaan Indonesia didominasi oleh minuman manis tinggi kalori, menciptakan lingkungan yang “terlalu manis” bagi siswa. Diperlukan upaya pengaturan penjualan, pelatihan penjual, dan promosi pilihan minuman sehat untuk mendukung kebiasaan makan yang lebih baik serta menurunkan risiko kesehatan jangka panjang.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The prevalence of oral glucose intolerance among Indonesian adolescents, reaching 16.8%, has raised concerns about the environmental factors shaping adolescents’ daily beverage choices, particularly within school settings. School canteens often offer beverages that are high in added sugars and energy but low in essential nutrients.
Objective: This study investigates the types of beverages sold in school canteens in urban area and examines their nutritional content, focusing on sugar and energy levels.
Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study in two public high schools in Surabaya, East Java. A total of 478 beverage samples were analysed. Data were collected by interviewing canteen vendors to collect information on drink recipes and packaged product labels. We then calculated the sugar and energy content per serving.
Results: Our result identifies ten types of beverages, including tea, milk-based drinks, traditional Indonesian beverages, chocolate drinks, and soft drinks. Among these, milk-based and traditional drinks had the highest average energy content (141.39±33.87 kcal and 138.28±51.15 kcal, respectively), while artificially flavoured beverages had the lowest (44.26±13.96 kcal). Traditional drinks also contained the highest levels of sugar (24.17±8.78 g per serving), exceeding WHO recommendations.
Conclusion: The results suggest that school canteens in urban Indonesia are filled with sugary, high-calorie drinks, creating what could be described as a "too sweet" environment for students. Efforts to regulate canteen offerings, train vendors, and promote healthier beverage choices are urgently needed to help students make better dietary decisions and reduce their risk of long-term health issues.
References
2. Hadi H, Triastanti RK, Anggraeni D, Nurwanti E, Lewis EC, Colon-ramos U, et al. The role of the school food environment in improving the healthiness of school canteens and readiness to reopen post COVID-19 pandemic: A study conducted in Indonesia. J Public health Res. 2022;11(2287). https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2287
3. Endy EJ, Yi S yun, Steffen BT, Shikany JM, Jacobs DR, Goins RK, et al. Nutrition , Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases Added sugar intake is associated with weight gain and risk of developing obesity over 30 years : The CARDIA study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024;34(2):466–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2023.10.022
4. Calcaterra V, Cena H, Magenes VC, Vincenti A, Comola G, Beretta A, et al. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Metabolic Risk in Children and Adolescents with Obesity : A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2023;15(702):1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030702
5. WHO. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. World Health Organization. Geneva; 2015.
6. Corte K Della, Fife J, Gardner A, Murphy BL, Kleis L, Corte D Della, et al. World trends in sugar-sweetened beverage and dietary sugar intakes in children and adolescents : a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2020;79(3):274–288. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaa070
7. World Health Organization. Global Report on Diabetes. Isbn [Internet]. 2016;978:88. Available from: http://www.who.int/about/licensing/%5Cnhttp://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/204871/1/9789241565257_eng.pdf
8. Sholihah LA. What Can be Done to Reduce High School Students’ Consumption of Sugar Rich Beverages? A Lesson Learned from a Traffic Light Labelling Trial in Surabaya, Indonesia. SEAMEO RECFON Awesome Magazine [Internet]. 2024;20–1. Available from: https://www.seameo-recfon.org/publications/recfon-awesome/#flipbook-df_11325/20/
9. Duran AC, Almeida SL De, Do R, Jaime PC. The role of the local retail food environment in fruit , vegetable and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in Brazil. Public Health Nutr. 2015;19(6):1093–1102. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980015001524
10. Harmayani E, Anal AK, Wichienchot S, Bhat R, Gardjito M, Santoso U, et al. Healthy food traditions of Asia : exploratory case studies from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Nepal. J Ethn Foods. 2019;6(1):1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-019-0002-x
11. Poppitt SD. Beverage Consumption: Are Alcoholic and Sugary Drinks Tipping the Balance towards Overweight and Obesity? Nutrients. 2015;7:6700–6718. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7085304
12. Liu Y, Pan F, Lyu J lang, Li J wen, Xu J, Wang H jun. The Association of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Consumption Patterns and Overweight / Obesity : Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey of Chinese Children and Adolescents. 2025;1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213442
13. Rahmawati IT, Ulfah NH, Renawati A, Novita Y. Too Sweet to Ignore : How SSB Intake and Physical Inactivity Affect BMI in Malang ’ s Student Population. Prev Indones J Public Heal. 2025;2999:89–101. https://doi.org/10.17977/um044v10i12025p89-101
14. World Cancer Research Fund International. Curbing global sugar consumption: Effective food policy actions to help promote healthy diets and tackle obesity. 2015.
15. Fresán U, Gea A, Bes-rastrollo M, Ruiz-canela M. Substitution Models of Water for Other Beverages , and the Incidence of Obesity and Weight Gain in the SUN Cohort. Nutrients. 2016;8:688–704. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8110688
16. Barbosa J, Caroline B, Amaral L, Warkentin S, Konstantyner T, Luisa F, et al. Factors Associated with Inadequate Milk Consumption Among Adolescents: National School Health Survey – Pense 2012. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2020;38:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2020/38/2018184
17. Hashem KM, He FJ, Macgregor GA. Cross-sectional surveys of the amount of sugar , energy and caffeine in sugar- sweetened drinks marketed and consumed as energy drinks in the UK between 2015 and 2017 : monitoring reformulation progress. BMJ Open. 2017;1–8. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018136
18. Sanctis V De, Soliman N, Soliman AT, Elsedfy H, Maio S Di, Kholy M El, et al. Caffeinated energy drink consumption among adolescents and potential health consequences associated with their use: a significant public health hazard. Acta Biomed. 2017;88(1):222–231. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v88i2.6664
19. Boulton J, Hashem KM, Jenner KH, Lloyd-williams F, Bromley H, Capewell S. How much sugar is hidden in drinks marketed to children ? A survey of fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies. BMJ Open. 2016;1–5. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010330
20. Warner JO. Artificial food additives: Hazardous to long-term health? Arch Dis Child. 2024;109(11):882–885. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2023-326565
21. Hodge AM, Bassett JK, Milne RL, English DR, Giles GG. Consumption of sugar-sweetened and arti fi cially sweetened soft drinks and risk of obesity-related cancers. Public Health Nutr. 2018;21(9):1618–1626. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980017002555
22. Mis F, Braegger N, Christian B, Campoy J, Domellöf M, Embleton ND, et al. Sugar in Infants, Children and Adolescents: A Position Paper of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017;65(6):681–696. https://doi.org/10.1097/mpg.0000000000001733
23. Li XE, Drake M. Sensory Perception , Nutritional Role , and Challenges of Flavored Milk for Children and Adults. 2015;80(4):665–670. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.12828
24. Wang C wen, Chen D rung, Chan C chuan, Yeh Y po, Chen H hsi. ‘ I Knew I Should Stop , but I Couldn ’ t Control Myself ’ : a qualitative study to explore the factors influencing adolescents ’ consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and sugary snacks from a socio-ecological perspective. Public Health Nutr. 2022;25(9):2465–2474. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980022001185
25. Guerrero-lópez CM, Unar-munguía M, Colchero MA. Price elasticity of the demand for soft drinks , other sugar-sweetened beverages and energy dense food in Chile. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2017;1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4098-x
26. Cuadrado C, Dunstan J, Silva-Illanes N, Mirelman AJ, Nakamura R, Suhrcke M. Effects of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax on prices and affordability of soft drinks in Chile: A time series analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2020;245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112708
27. Moghadam SD, Krieger JW, Louden DKN. A systematic review of the effectiveness of promoting water intake to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Obes Sci Pract. 2019;6:229–246. https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.397
28. Rachmadewi A, Soekarjo D, Maehara M, Alwi B, Mulati E. School Canteens in Selected Areas in Indonesia : A Situation Analysis. 2021;42(2):225–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/03795721211008021
29. New South Wales Ministry of Health. The NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy. 2024. Available from: https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/en/home/student-wellbeing/whole-school-approach/healthy-school canteens
30. WHO Regional Office for The Western Pacific. Meeting Report Regional Workshop on Regulating the Marketing and Sale of Foods and Non-alcoholic Beverages at Schools. 2016. Available from: https://iris.who.int/items/ada4a380-9b79-401e-80c0-e0d00c46f298
Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.