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Health experts call for clamp down on 'hidden sugars' in food

A group of health experts want more to be done to make the public aware of how much extra sugar is in their food. Action on Sugar want to help consumers avoid products 'full of hidden sugars' and encourage manufacturers to reduce the ingredient.

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Govt obesity scheme has 'no effect on calorie intake'

Health experts have hit out at Government attempts to reduce obesity as the Department of Health Responsibility Deal "has been shown to have no effect on calorie intake".

Action on Sugar chairman, Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, said:

The present Government and Department of Health Responsibility Deal has been shown to have had no effect on calorie intake and we must start a coherent and structured plan to slowly reduce the amount of calories people consume by slowly taking out added sugar from foods and soft drinks."

– Graham MacGregor, AUS Chairman

Read more: Experts: Food industry should reduce sugar by 30%

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High sugar content a 'public health hazard'

The food industry puts so much extra sugar in some foods it should be considered a "public health hazard" which children need to be protected from, an expert has said.

Dr Aseem Malhotra, cardiologist and science director of Action on Sugar, said:

Added sugar has no nutritional value whatsoever and causes no feeling of satiety.

Aside from being a major cause of obesity, there is increasing evidence that added sugar increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and fatty liver.

We must particularly protect children from this public health hazard and the food industry needs to immediately reduce the amount of sugar that they are adding, particularly to children's foods, and stop targeting children with massive advertising for high-calorie snacks and soft drinks.

– Dr Aseem Malhotra

Read more: Experts: Food industry should reduce sugar by 30%

Experts: Food industry should reduce sugar by 30%

The food industry could easily reduce the amount of sugar it adds to products by between 20 and 30 percent, according to a group of health experts.

Read more: 'Three million' with diabetes

Reducing sugar intake could halt Britain's burgeoning obesity crises, AUS said. Credit: PA

Action on Sugar (AUS) want to help the the public avoid products "full of hidden sugars" which they say are contributing to the obesity crisis.

Experts claim taking out a third of the sugar in some products would result in a reduction of approximately 100,000 calories per day or more in those who are particularly prone to obesity.

The group listed flavoured water, sports drinks, yogurts, ketchup, ready meals and even bread as just a few everyday foods that contain large amounts of sugar.

Read more: Fizzy drinks tax 'to cut obesity'

Read more: Risk of jam 'tasting like mud' if sugar rules changed

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