SUBANG JAYA, 18 OCTOBER 2018: Central Sugars Refinery Sdn Bhd (CSR), together with the National Diabetes Institute, Malaysia (NADI), marked a big milestone today, with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to promote a healthy lifestyle among Malaysians; with a commitment to spread awareness of consuming sugar responsibly and fighting diabetes. As part of the collaboration, CSR will be supporting NADI’s ‘Promote Healthy Lifestyle, Fight Diabetes’ Programme that looks to conduct educational activities for the local communities.

According to the latest estimates, based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria, almost 14% of Malaysia’s population fall under the ‘obese’ category, and a further 40% are overweight. With growing concerns over increased health risks such as obesity, diabetes and other health issues associated with high sugar consumption, today’s ceremony is the beginning of a long journey for CSR and NADI to encourage the public to consume sugar responsibly.

Through NADI’s ‘Promote Healthy Lifestyle, Fight Diabetes’ Programme, CSR will be a Major Partner and both organisations are collaborating to address these concerns by engaging the rural and urban Malaysian communities through roadshows and health screenings. CSR will also support two issues of NADI’s “NADI Diabetes” Magazine per year, that advocates healthy living, and provides tips and guides to Malaysians with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes for optimal control of diabetes and other associated conditions. Additionally, CSR and NADI will spread awareness to every home in Malaysia through the release of a new product packaging with NADI’s ‘Promote Healthy Lifestyle, Fight Diabetes Program’ logo that captures both organisation’s support of a healthy lifestyle.

“We are extremely excited and see this collaboration as a great opportunity for us here at CSR to continue and remain committed to encourage the community to consume sugar in a responsible manner in accordance to our lifestyles. NADI is the perfect organisation to partner with as it exemplifies a vision, in line with CSR’s, to promote a healthy lifestyle, fight diabetes and other associated diseases. We want to thank NADI for giving us this platform to make a difference in the lives of Malaysians,” says Hishammudin Hasan, Chief Executive Officer of CSR.

“We are very honoured to be working with the CSR team who will be instrumental in providing funding to support the educational activities organised by NADI. Through the support for NADI roadshows and screenings, CSR will be indirectly helping the government in the prevention and early diagnosis of diabetes and associated diseases such as overweight and obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol level and heart disease so that early and effective treatment can be provided. I would like to take this opportunity to thank CSR for their generous contribution to enable NADI to continue its activities to benefit the community especially those affected by diabetes,” says Emeritus Professor Dato’ Dr. Mustaffa Embong, Executive Chairman (Honorary) of NADI.

The signing ceremony was attended by Hishammudin Hasan, Chief Executive Officer of CSR and Emeritus Professor Dato’ Dr. Mustaffa Embong, Executive Chairman (Honorary) of NADI, as main signatories, and Megat Joha Megat Abdul Rahman, Chairman of CSR, Ahmad Farid Kamarudin, Head of Marketing at CSR and Dato’ Dr. Nor ‘Aini Hj. Abu Bakar, Member, Board of Trustees, NADI, as witnesses of the MOA signing and exchange.

In addition to the collaboration, CSR will be looking into developing new healthier sugar versions to offer to consumers. CSR believes that its products are not just commodities. It enhances the taste and value of any drinks, food or products that they are added to. Recognising the need to play a vital role in ensuring the proper use and benefits of its products, the organisation is driven to supply consumers with quality sugar across its growing range of products.

CSR is committed to the Malaysian market and will continue to innovate and evolve to provide consumers with the better choice and healthier sugar version, whilst advocating the need to consume responsibly.

Stay tuned and watch out for more exciting updates flourishing from this collaboration.