Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government is preparing a policy on sugar content labeling for food and beverages and plans to establish a food safety task force, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan said on Monday.Hasan said the policy was discussed during a meeting in Jakarta that also marked the initial discussion on implementing Government Regulation (PP) Number 1 of 2026 on Food Safety.”Reports show that many young people are already suffering from diabetes,” Hasan said after the meeting.He said concerns over sugar consumption were raised amid rising non-communicable disease cases, including among younger age groups.To address the issue, the government plans to form a cross-ministerial and inter-agency team to formulate a sugar content labeling scheme for food and beverages to improve public awareness.The meeting also agreed to establish a food safety task force at both central and regional levels to enable faster responses to food safety issues, including residue cases, contamination, and food emergencies.Hasan said the task force would involve relevant ministries and institutions, including the National Police, the Ministry of Health, and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).The government also discussed governance of processed food products widely distributed in the community to ensure compliance with food safety regulations.”What can be distributed in our country, including halal and non-halal standards, will also be discussed,” Hasan said.BPOM head Taruna Ikrar said the agency is harmonizing derivative regulations, including the preparation of labeling rules or nutritional grading for sugar, salt, and fat content.He said the regulation would be drafted based on international standards, including Codex guidelines, as well as recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, with adjustments to national conditions.The government said the labeling policy and task force are aimed at strengthening consumer protection, increasing public awareness, and clarifying food safety management mechanisms.Government Regulation Number 1 of 2026 amends Government Regulation Number 86 of 2019 on Food Safety to strengthen monitoring, coordination, and responses to evolving food safety risks.