“No added sugar” doesn’t mean 3-in-1 coffee is fine for diabetics: Consumers decry misleading labelling

 

“DON’T believe the hype sticker.”

That seems to be the underlying message in a post by X user Adzizi (@adzizi) who accused certain food manufacturers of unethical practices, namely misleading consumers.

Highlighting claims of “teh tarik kosong” by manufacturer Aik Cheong in its 2-in-1 powder mix and “zero added table sugar” in Super’s 2-in-1 instant coffee powder, it was clearly shown that glucose syrup was on the list of ingredients.

Pleading with these food manufacturers to understand the consequence of such misleading messaging, it was argued that poorly informed diabetics could be slowly killing themselves by consuming these sugar-heavy products.

The post has generated 296K views at time of publication with consumers venting their spleen at this use of creative marketing.

Some commenters simply avoided 3-in-1 mixes with one using the post to highlight their suspicions of these beverages that are manufactured or sold in Malaysia.

On commenter claimed of having come across “Zus Ngupi Kopi Putih that’s 0% sugar”.

“The taste is pretty decent, but at least there’s no added sugar,” he testified.

“Just sharing because I really am trying to cut down on 3-in-1 coffee but since it’s hard to quit, we look for alternatives with less sugar. That’s when I found one with no sugar at all. This makes me excited haha.”

It was also argued that though not technically wrong, such labelling can confuse or mislead consumers into thinking that certain brands represented healthier options.

It was agreed that such claims could pose a threat to people with certain medical conditions. But it was pointed that anyone with medical conditions, specifically diabetes, should not be consuming pre-mixed beverages anyway.

This is given that diabetics in particular should not equate “zero table sugar” as “zero sugar”, hence should pursue their own due diligence. Or even better, they “shouldn’t be drinking 3-in-1, 2-in-1 or any processed food/drink to begin with”.

On the flipside, there were many commenters who felt that the manufacturers have done nothing wrong. As they are technically correct and have committed no crime, perhaps consumers “should familiarise themselves with reading the ingredient content and nutrition table instead”.

Some even turned it around and accused the poster of poor understanding of the wording.

One caffeine addict sought to explain the mixing process of these pre-mixed beverages which allowed the manufacturer to claim “no added table sugar” even when the creamer from their suppliers already contained sugar or sweetener prior to being processed.

Above all else, this meant that the 3-in-1 coffee manufacturers do not flout the Health Ministry’s (MOH) guidelines.

Turning to AI (artificial Intelligence), one observer helpfully provided a short and (please excuse the pun) sweet explanation as to how a manufacturer can claim their products have zero added sugar when it includes glucose syrup in the list of ingredients.

This was when some commenters expressed surprised at this poster’s perceived naivety. Although that entails “a grey area”, it is common practice the world over and it is completely legal.

Clever marketing or unethical packaging? Consumers are free to decide and should exercise discretion when purchasing their fave brands of beverages. Lifestyle choices are nobody’s responsibility but one’s very own. – April 30, 2026

- Focus malaysia