Eight out of ten drinks: sugar traps for our little ones!

Eight out of ten drinks: sugar traps for our little ones!

A current study by Foodwatch Austria has revealed alarming results about the sugar content in children's drinks. Of 112 analyzed products from supermarkets, drugstores and discounters, 79 percent contain more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. It is particularly worrying that 45 percent of these drinks with at least 8 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters are considered to be very sugared. These values clearly exceed the recommendations of the WHO, which recommends a sugar content of less than 5 percent of the daily energy supply for children- that is a maximum of 19 grams of sugar a day for 4 to 7 year olds. A single “children's drink” can already exceed this recommendation.

Foodwatch criticizes that many drinks with “healthy” advertising promises contain high quantities of sugar. This often happens through misleading packaging that aims specifically on children. The organization therefore calls for sharp measures to reduce this sugar consumption. These include the introduction of a cracker tax, a ban on advertising for unhealthy foods on children and a mandatory Nutri score identification for more transparency. Furthermore, an age limit for Energy Drink is required to protect children and young people.

overweight and its consequences

The high sugar consumption values have serious health consequences. In Austria, 34 percent of the boys and 26 percent of girls in elementary school are overweight. Care 16 percent of the boys and 8 percent of the girls are obese. Obesity in childhood is a risk factor for numerous chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dental problems such as caries.

In addition, it is known that the average pack of a children's drink contains about 24 grams of sugar, which corresponds to more than 6 pieces of cubes. In some cases, as with drinking packets and bubble teas, the sugar content can even be up to 60 grams per pack. Interestingly, fruit juices often contain more sugar than lemonades, which could mislead many parents.

Sugar recommendations at a glance

In Austria there is currently no current data on the sugar consumption of children, the last survey dates from 2012. The context of health recommendations shows that international guidelines, such as those of the WHO, also raise awareness of sugar reduction. The WHO recommends that sugar consumption to be limited to less than 10 percent of the energy supply, which is often exceeded in Switzerland and in other European countries. In Switzerland, for example, the estimated sugar consumption is around 110 grams a day, which corresponds to about 22 percent of the daily energy supply.

Further information on the sugar situation in Germany and Switzerland are in the reports of Bundesag and Pädiatrie Switzerland to read.