How much sugar is in the food that we eat? Slides to show how many cubes of sugar are lurking in food consumed every day.

1. Where is the sugar
lurking?

2. Orange
• Total sugar = 23.0g
• Estimated free sugars = 0.0g
• % of SACN recommended
amount = 0%
• Sugars contained in fruit are
all intrinsic

3. Tropicana Smooth Orange Juice
(300ml bottle)
• Total sugar = 29.8g
• Estimated free sugars = 29.8g
• % of SACN recommended
amount = 99%
• Sugar in fruit juice released
from cellular structure,
therefore count as “free”

4. Nutella (15g serving)
• Total sugar = 8.6g
• Estimated free sugars = 8g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 27%

5. Sainsbury’s beetroot salad (1/4 pot)
• Total sugar = 8.2g
• Estimated free sugars = 5.0g
• % of SACN recommended
amount = 17%

6. Clear Honey (15g serving)
• Total sugar = 12.2g
• Estimated free sugars = 12.2 g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 41%

7. Lucazade Sport (500ml bottle)
• Total sugar = 18.0g
• Estimated free sugars = 18.0g
• % of SACN recommended
amount = 60%

8. Jordans Country Crisps with Chunky
Nuts (45g serving, without milk)
• Total sugar = 9.9g
• Estimated free sugars = 9.9g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 33%

9. Can of Coke (330ml)
• Total sugar = 35.0g
• Estimated free sugars = 35.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 117%

10. Can of Diet Coke (330ml)
• Total sugar = 0.0g
• Estimated free sugars = 0.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 0%

11. Can of Coca-Cola Life (330ml)
• Total sugar = 22.0g
• Estimated free sugars = 22.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 73%

12. Can of Schwepps Tonic Water
(150ml)
• Total sugar = 7.7g
• Estimated free sugars = 7.7g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 26%

13. Sweet and Sour Chicken with Egg Fried
Rice by Sainsbury’s (per pack)
• Total sugar = 50.7g
• Estimated free sugars = 48.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 160%

14. Galaxy Milk Chocolate Bar
• Total sugar = 23.3g
• Estimated free sugars = 20.2
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 67%

15. Packet of Skittles
• Total sugar = 49.4g
• Estimated free sugars = 49.4g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 165%

16. Nature Valley Crunch Bars, Canadian
Maple Syrup (per packet = x2 bars)
• Total sugar = 11.8g
• Estimated free sugars = 11.8g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 39%

17. HiPP Baby Rice Pudding 7 months+
(per jar)
• Total sugar = 45g
• Estimated free sugars = 15.1g
• % of SACN recommended amount
for children aged 4-6 = 79%
• No recommendation given by
SACN for infants, however WHO
recommend none.

18. Sainsbury’s Sweet Chilli Stir Fry
Sauce (per ½ pack)
• Total sugar = 23.0g
• Estimated free sugars = 23.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 77%

19. Digestive Biscuit
• Total sugar = 2.5g
• Estimated free sugars = 2.5g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 8%

20. New York Bakery Plain Bagel
• Total sugar = 4.4g
• Estimated free sugars = 4.4g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 15%

21. Tesco Honey and Mustard Salad
Dressing (15ml serving)
• Total sugar = 2.7g
• Estimated free sugars = 2.7
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 9%

22. Cheerios (45 gram serving, without
milk)
• Total sugar = 9.4g
• Estimated free sugars = 9.4g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 31%

23. Activia Strawberry Yogurt Pot
• Total sugar = 16.6g
• Estimated free sugars = 10.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 33%

24. Tesco Hoisin Duck Wrap
• Total sugar = 10.8g
• Estimated free sugars = 10.8g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 36%

25. Wholefood mix (60 gram serving)
• Total sugar = 22.3g
• Estimated free sugars = 0.0 g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 0%

26. Heinz Tomato Ketchup (15g serving)
• Total sugar = 3.4g
• Estimated free sugars = 2.0g
• % of SACN recommended amount
= 11%
*Manufacturer unable to disclose
information on sugar quantities.

27. Methodology
• The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommends that the average intake of free sugars should not
exceed 5% of total dietary energy intake across the UK population. Assuming a total average adult energy intake of
approximately 2000kcals per day, this would amount to no more than 30g/day of free sugars, or 7.5 sugar cubes.
For children aged 4-6, this would amount to no more than 19g/day of free sugars, or 5 sugar cubes.
• The term ‘free sugars’ comprises all monosaccharides (e.g. glucose and fructose) and disaccharides (e.g. sucrose)
added to foods by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and
unsweetened fruit juices. Lactose (the naturally present sugar found in milk and milk products) and sugars
contained within the cellular structure of foods, such as fruit and vegetables, are excluded.
• Currently, nutrition information labels list the amount in grams of total carbohydrates, of which are sugars (total
sugars). Free sugars are not the same as total sugars because they exclude lactose or sugars within the cellular
structure of foods. Therefore, in order to obtain the amount of free sugars in the products, the value of any non-
free sugars had to be estimated and subtracted from the total sugars value. The ingredients list on each product
was scanned to identify ingredients that would have been included in the total sugar calculation, but would not be
classified as ‘free sugars’ (i.e. milk sugars). If any were identified, their contribution to total sugars in grams was
estimated using the following steps:
– The weight of the ingredient in 100g of the product was calculated using the % contribution listed in the ingredients list.
– The amount of total sugars in 100g of the ingredient was obtained from McCance and Widdowson’s composition of foods
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/composition-of-foods-integrated-dataset-cofid
– The amount of total sugars from the ingredient in 100g of the product was calculated.
– The amount of total sugars from the ingredient per product serving was calculated.