SUGAR IS TOP OF THE HEALTH AGENDA this new year – and with good reason. We’re all still eating far too much of it. On average, adults consume the equivalent of 15tsp a day (the maximum we should have is around 7tsp), and it’s an even bleaker picture for teenagers, at 20tsp for boys and 16tsp for girls. It’s little better for children, with four to 10-year-olds having an astonishing 13tsp a day.
As well as encouraging us to retrain our sweet tooth, the government also has a plan to persuade the food industry – supermarkets, food manufacturers, cafés, restaurants and takeaway shops – to reduce the amount of sugar in their food by at least 20% by 2020. Producers of biscuits, cakes, confectionery, puddings, ice cream, sweet spreads, breakfast cereals and pastries, and yogurts – foods that make the biggest contribution to children’s daily sugar intakes – will be presented voluntary targets for the total amount of sugar they should have in their products, to help them achieve this reduction.
Meanwhile, use this smart guide to sidestep added sugar in your weekly supermarket shop…