Ringkasan

The global prevalence of diabetes in adults has continued to increase in the last two decades. From 2000 to 2021 the number of diabetes patients in the world more than tripled, reaching 537 million or around 10.5% of the global population. According to the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) Study, sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest contributor to total sugar intake, with the average global sugar intake from SSBs being 49 g per day. To respond to the high sugar intake in Indonesia related to the consumption of SSBs, the Super Indo supermarket chain launched the Sugar Indicator initiative, and it has been implemented in various regions in Indonesia. To evaluate this initiative, a survey is needed to assess the impact of the Sugar Indicator or "Sugar Meter" on consumer awareness about the sugar content of drinks as well as the process and decisions making for selecting and purchasing drinks.

This research is a cross sectional study with a data collection method in the form of exit interviews conducted on 750 respondents who shopped for sweet drinks at 50 Super Indo Supermarkets located in Jabodetabek (Greater Jakarta – Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) and East Java (Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Malang). Data collection and quality checking was carried out in November 2023. The sample size was calculated based on the Cochrane formula by considering the number of daily consumers who shop at Super Indo through direct observation and referring to previous studies conducted at the study location. The inclusion criteria for consumers were aged between 18 and 64 years, shop for sweet drinks from the aisle where the Sugar Indicator signs are placed and are willing to participate in the survey.

There are six sections of the questionnaire, namely respondent eligibility screening, socio-demographic characteristics, shopping habits, awareness and responses regarding signs and use of the Sugar Indicator in shopping for sweet drinks. The study results are presented in four sections; descriptive analysis presented in tables and graphs, statistical tests presented in cross-tabulation tables and the cascade of use of Sugar Indicators presented in a flowchart. In addition, suggestions from respondents to improve the Sugar Indicator initiative are presented in word clouds.

Survey results show that only 37.02% of respondents naturally notice something different in the beverage aisle. Of the 37.02% of respondents, 65.95% stated that the different thing was the Sugar Indicator. Only around a quarter (24.93%) of customers who had ever use the Sugar Indicators sign for guiding their purchase of packaged beverages where more than half (53,48%) stated that the reason was because they want to limit their daily sugar intake. After shown the Sugar Indicator sign, 41.33% were able to recall that they had seen the sign in the aisle before. The top three reasons respondents naturally did not see the Sugar Indicator were because of the habit of never paying attention to any signs (60.45%), no one telling them how to use the Sugar Indicator (27.05%) and because it was not an attractive sign (23.41%). Respondents also stated that the reason for not using the Sugar Indicator when shopping for sweet drinks was because 32.33% could not find the sign and did not feel the need to limit sugar consumption (23.27%).

The survey results also showed positive things where most respondents stated that the Sugar Indicator was easy to understand (84.93%), useful (91.60%), accurate and valid (88.13%). They would most likely use the Sugar Indicator if they were told how to use and interpret the signs (71.33%). This shows the potential of the Sugar Indicator in guiding consumers to choose packaged drinks that have lower sugar. However, continuous efforts are needed to inform consumers about the existence of the Sugar Indicator and educate consumers on how to use this sign.