‘Sugar-free’ or ‘low-sugar’ section needed in every supermarket

Editor: It is more than a little ironic that despite constant warnings, cautions, and advisements regarding diabetes as one of the greatest threats to life and limb in St Vincent and the Grenadines, there is a real paucity of diabetic-friendly foods in the local supermarkets: cereal foods, salad dressings, ice cream, pancake syrup, jams and jellies, cookies, sodas etc,{{more}} all of which are manufactured in sugar-free versions by dozens of companies; few, if any, are available to diabetics here. This is particularly puzzling in view of the large customer base for these products in St Vincent.

There should be a large “sugar-free” or “low-sugar” section in every supermarket here, well stocked with a wide range of products. And in that those items tend to have a slightly higher profit margin, retailing at a slightly higher price, there is a built-in incentive; so why the scarcity? How many Vincentians would be alive now or not have lost a limb had they been able to incorporate sugar-free products into a diet of local fruits and vegetables, forestalling the ravages of diabetes?

HJA