The Children’s Food Campaign claims a 20p tax on sugary drinks could have major positive impact on health but academics and industry say evidence is lacking.
The food industry has criticised the WHO’s recommendation to reduce the intake of added sugar for being backed by ‘moderate’ and ‘very low quality’ evidence.
Energy drinks contain up to 20 teaspoons of sugar per 500ml serving – more than three times the maximum adult daily intake of free sugars a day, according to research released by Action on Sugar.
Tate & Lyle is launching a new ultra-low-calorie sugar that is found naturally in jackfruit and raisins, but is being made in commercial quantities via the enzymatic conversion of corn using a proprietary process.
Sugar content has risen in a fifth of UK ready-to-eat breakfast cereals since 2012 with the largest spikes coming from retail own brands, finds Action on Sugar research.
The French food agency failed to take on the full health picture and missed a good opportunity for public health change with its dismissal of sweetener benefits, according to the International Sweeteners Association (ISA).
Recommending intense sweeteners as a way to reduce sugar intakes cannot be justified as a public health strategy, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has concluded.
Consumption of fructose may be more harmful to a number of key health measures, including mortality and fertility, than consumption of sucrose, according to research in mice.
Renewed calls to attack health problems by taxing sugary drinks have been slammed by a leading nutritionist, who claims cutting portion sizes and sugar content and tackling irresponsible retail promotions would be better.
Special edition: Cutting calories in confectionery
Manufacturers can create reduced or no sugar hard and soft candy product extensions without the risk of changing the taste of a proven seller through reformulation, according to Cargill.
The Fairtrade Foundation has urged food companies and retailers to choose Fairtrade sugar, amid concerns that a sugar price slump and CAP reforms could push thousands of workers into poverty.
“Artificial sweeteners may boost diabetes risk” ran the headline in the New York Times last month – but experts have said to take recent research with a pinch of salt.
Sweeteners in foods and drinks could be causing an increased risk of metabolic diseases by changing the way our gut bacteria interact with the body, says a new study.
British Sugar owner AB Sugar is fighting back against anti-sugar campaigners with the launch of a campaign informing people about sugar’s role in a healthy balanced diet.
Intakes of free dietary sugars should make up no more than 3% of total energy intake in order to battle the ‘significant’ financial and social burdens of tooth decay, warn researchers.
Strong profit performances by Associated British Foods’s (ABF’s) grocery and ingredients divisions and Primark will help to offset lower sugar prices and currency factors, predicted the food giant in a trading update today (September 8).
The taste of common sweeteners is often described as being much more intense than sugar, however new research has suggested that these sugar substitutes are not perceived to be any sweeter than sugar by consumers.
Consumers have more negative views towards sugar-sweetened drinks, and show less preference for them, when they come with concrete images of the amount of sugar they contain, suggest researchers.
Manufacturers should look to reduce overall use and reliance on sugar and not focus on replacing fructose with glucose, while concerns over HFCS should start to disperse as newer research invalidates current thinking, says Laura Jones of Mintel.
More and more consumers rely on the internet for their news, and stories can go viral within minutes, so it’s unsurprising that certain food ingredients have become the subject of fear and avoidance in this information age.
The launch of stevia-sugar sweetened Coca-Cola Life into the UK signals a new era in sugar reduction, as it suggests stevia will soon be big in soft drinks, and may open up the use of sweeteners in foods, according to Professor Jack Winkler, former Professor...
The natural sweetness and antioxidant properties of dates could add value to dairy, pastry and meat products, and would reduce waste of a fruit that was not being eaten fresh, Spanish researchers say.
Four out of five fizzy drinks on the UK market contain the equivalent to, or more than, the WHO recommended daily maximum for sugar intake, according to new data.
UK ready meals contain up to double the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended daily intake for sugar, according to the latest research from Which?.
For the most part, confectioners have continued to innovate in known areas like flavor, product size and packaging rather than innovating for health, says Euromonitor International.
Egypt's Al Nouran Sugar has secured US$357m in financing for a new sugar facility which will create 3,000 new jobs and produce 588,000 tonnes of sugar a year when operational.
Salt and sugar may have synergistic effects on the texture and quality of extruded snack products, and there is potential to reduce both without negative effects, according to new research.
About 50% of our preference for sweet food and drinks can be attributed to genetics, about the same level of heritability as certain personality traits and asthma, according to a food sensory scientist.
More research is required before the World Health Organization (WHO) cuts its guidance on daily sugar intake by half, according to the Association of Chocolate, Biscuits and Confectionery Industries of Europe (CAOBISCO).
Attending a series of sessions on sugar reduction during the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) 2014 Wellness conference, a few common themes kept resurfacing: that obesity remains a big problem, and that—like it or not—the sugar industry is assuming...
Children who most prefer high levels of sweet tastes also most prefer high levels of salt taste, according to new research that suggests such a link may be behind high childhood consumption of sugar and salt.
Sugar consumption could feasibly be reduced by 10% a year over the coming three to four years – without using artificial sweeteners or any other replacement ingredients, claims Action on Sugar.
Naturally occurring flavour compounds in strawberries could be used to improve the flavour and sweetness of processed foods without using sweeteners, according to a study published in PLOS ONE.
The Committee of European Sugar Users (CIUS) has called on EU member states and the Commission to take adequate measures to avoid sugar shortages and guarantee a sufficient stock level at the end of this business year.
The US National Confectioners Association (NCA) and leading US firms say sugar has been ‘unjustly’ victimized in recent months and the public should be free to enjoy a sweet treat if they so desire.
Sugar has had a bad press recently, especially after campaign group Action on Sugar formed to tackle ‘hidden’ sugars in processed foods last month – but sugar industry proponents claim it should not be singled out as a leading culprit in the obesity crisis.
Excessive consumption of added sugars in drinks, snacks and sweets is associated with an increased risk of dying from heart disease, according to a major US review published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Prominent nutritionists have provided their exclusive feedback on Action on Sugar’s sugar reduction campaign, designed to combat the rising incidence of obesity in the UK.
Fresh calls to reduce the 'excess' levels of sugar in food and drinks products by newly formed Action on Sugar could help industry to higher profits through the use of cheaper non-nutritive sweeteners, according to Professor Jack Winkler.
A new global campaign will bring together experts and policy makers to tackle the current global epidemic of obesity and diabetes by reducing 'unnecessarily high' levels of sugar in food and beverage products.
Sugar-sweetened and sugar-free beverages produce similar satiety in children, says a new study that challenges the oft-quoted hypothesis that artificially sweetened drinks make people crave sweeter foods or serve as an appetite stimulant.
