In the spirit of celebrating National Diabetes Day, Bango has launched its latest innovation: 'Bango Less Sugar', which is 45% lower in sugar to help Indonesian families control their sugar intake without compromising on the delicious taste of home cooking. This innovation launch was carried out amidst the excitement of the "Bango Less Sugar Fit Festival" held at Gandaria City, May 24-26 2024. The various activities presented at this event are expected to inspire people to live healthier lives in more delicious ways.
Nuning Wahyuningsih, Head of Marketing Nutrition Indonesia, PT Unilever Indonesia, Tbk. Explained: "For more than 95 years, Bango has always delivered innovations and programmes based on their commitment to delivering delicious Indonesian cuisine while paying attention to the dynamic needs of the public. Bango sees that a healthy lifestyle is now increasingly in demand among Indonesians, who more and more realise the importance of maintaining health. Especially when it comes to eating healthier, the Asia Pacific Health Priority 2023 study shows that 75% of Indonesians are willing to spend more on healthier food choices."
"In the midst of the increasing number of health enthusiasts who want a higher quality of life, Bango believes that this must still be lived in an enjoyable way so that we can pursue it sustainably. For this reason, Bango presents 'Bango Less Sugar', which is 45% lower in sugar to help Indonesian families control their sugar intake without compromising on the delicious taste of dishes."
Regarding sugar intake, Indonesia is currently the 6th largest sugar consuming country in the world, reaching 7.8 million metric tonnes/year[a]. In fact, the BPS National Socio-Economic Survey in 2021 showed that 47.9 million Indonesians still consume excessive sugar[b].
In response, dr. Diana Felicia Suganda, M.Kes, Sp.G.K., Clinical Nutrition Specialist, emphasised: "Consuming foods and drinks with excess sugar can lead to various risks of diseases such as type-2 diabetes mellitus (type-2 DM). This disease does not even look at age, because people with type-2 DM tend to dominate the most productive age groups (52.1%), compared to the elderly (48.9%)[c]. Apart from their sedentary lifestyles or lack of movement, this disease is closely related to unhealthy consumption patterns, including foods and drinks that contain excess sugar.
"When someone already has diabetes, they can still live a healthy and productive life as long as they consistently implement the best quality nutricious intake and diet habits to control blood sugar levels along with an active lifestyle. In fact, around 90% of type-2 DM cases can be prevented through healthy lifestyles[d]. So, such good habits are also important for those who want to avoid the risk of diabetes," continued dr. Diana.
Bango Less Sugar is the right choice for Indonesian families who want to live healthier in more delicious ways. This innovation uses high-quality ingredients, namely Mallika black soybeans, which is the hallmark of Bango soy sauce, and stevia leaves, a natural sweetener that contains zero calories. In addition to being lower in sugar, Bango Less Sugar is also 50% lower in salt, making it good for consumption to control high blood pressure.
Nana Mirdad, a celebrity who lives a healthy lifestyle, shared this: "As parents, of course Andrew and I want to always protect our family's health. We always make sure the kids have active outdoor activities and always eat healthy food. Because I love cooking, ingredients are certainly a major concern for me, so I am very happy for the help offered by the Bango Less Sugar innovation. Besides helping my family reduce their sugar intake, it doesn't change the taste of their favourite dishes."
Last but not least, Bango Less Sugar presents 21 delicious and healthier Indonesian recipes to inspire mothers to create low sugar and calorie menus for their families. All of these recipes, along with other healthy lifestyle guides, can be easily accessed through the IG account @bangowarisankuliner.
To further inspire people to live healthy lifestyles, Bango Less Sugar was launched amidst the excitement of the "Bango Less Sugar Fit Festival". This series of activities consists of various interactive activities, such as:
- Zona Edukasi & Konsultasi: Presenting the benefits of Bango's latest innovation, Bango Less Sugar, along with free blood sugar checks and consultations with a team of medical experts
- Zona Gerak Sehat: Consists of various engaging activities that encourage people to adopt active lifestyles
- Zona Makan Enak: Various delicious and healthy dishes presented by Bango Less Sugar
- Pound fit class series and healthy recipes
"Hopefully Bango Less Sugar can be part of the first step for Indonesian families to live healthier lives that are full of deliciousness. We also invite as many people as possible to visit the 'Bango Less Sugar Fit Festival' so that together we can be encouraged to live fitter lives with healthier nutricious intakes and fun and exciting physical activities," concluded Nuning.