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Graham MacGregorChairman of the campaign group Action on Sugar and professor of cardiovascular medicine
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Shocking Sugar Content in Popular Coffee Drinks
- Overloaded with Sugar
- Top Sugar Culprits
- - Starbucks' Hot Chocolate: 60 grams of sugar (15 teaspoons)
- Industry Response
Shocking Sugar Content in Popular Coffee Drinks
In recent times, renowned coffee chains such as Starbucks, Costa, and Caffè Nero have come under fire for allegedly contributing to the global obesity epidemic. A study conducted by the campaign group Action on Sugar has revealed that many popular hot drinks contain alarmingly high levels of sugar.
Overloaded with Sugar
For instance, Starbucks' Hot Mulled Fruit drink, marketed as a festive treat, contains a staggering 99 grams of sugar, equivalent to 25 teaspoons. This exceeds three times the recommended daily intake for adults, which stands at 30 grams of sugar, or approximately seven teaspoons.
Action on Sugar's review of 131 flavored hot drinks found that 98% were given a "red label," exceeding the Food Standards Agency's recommended sugar levels. Notably, 35% of these drinks contained as much sugar as a can of Coca-Cola, which itself contains nine teaspoons.
Top Sugar Culprits
Among the worst offenders were:- Starbucks' White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream: 73.8 grams of sugar (18 teaspoons)
- Starbucks' Hot Chocolate: 60 grams of sugar (15 teaspoons)
- Costa's Chai Latte Massimo: 79.9 grams of sugar (20 teaspoons)- KFC's Large Mocha: 58.8 grams of sugar (15 teaspoons)
- Caffè Nero's Caramelatte: 50.6 grams of sugar (13 teaspoons)
A Call for Reduction
Action on Sugar urges supermarkets and manufacturers to adopt legally binding targets to reduce sugar content in food and drink products. The group also advocates for the creation of independent agencies responsible for nutrition policy and enforcement. These agencies would aim to reduce sugar in existing products by 50% and fat by 20% over the next five years.
Industry Response
In response to the Action on Sugar study, Starbucks stated that they had committed to reducing the sugar content of their sweetest beverages by 25% by the end of 2020. They also offer a range of lighter options with sugar-free syrup and natural sweeteners.
Costa emphasized its commitment to nutritional balance and disclosed that they had already taken significant steps to reduce sugar across their product range. The company plans to further improve nutritional profiles while maintaining the quality and taste that customers expect.
