CFS announces study findings on sugar content of non-prepackaged food

Findings of a study on the sugar content of some non-prepackaged food in Hong Kong released by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (July 30) show that certain kinds of non-alcoholic beverages, even with less sweet versions, and dessert and bakery products contained high sugar content. The CFS called on the trade to keep up their effort in reducing sugar content and urged consumers to make careful choices.

A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS continuously monitors the changes of sugar content in food available in the local market. The study aimed to measure the levels of sugars in some non-prepackaged food, especially in those cases where there is room for traders to reformulate the sugar content to a lower level."

The spokesman pointed out that sugars are simple carbohydrates which can be found naturally or added to foods and beverages. Consuming too much sugar may lead to excessive energy intake and raise the risk of being overweight or obese, and may also increase the risk of dental caries.

The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have suggested that the intake of free sugars, i.e. all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by manufacturers, cooks or consumers, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices, should be less than 10 per cent of daily energy intake (i.e. less than 50 grams of free sugar (about 10 sugar cubes) per day for an individual with a daily energy intake of 2,000 kilocalories).

"The study covered three groups of food products: non-alcoholic beverages, desserts and bakery products. A total of 334 samples of 35 products were analysed for sugars," the spokesman said.

The results showed that among the 11 products of non-alcoholic beverages, red bean icy drinks, pineapple icy drinks and hot citron tea were found to contain sugars at a mean content of more than 7.5g per 100 millilitres (i.e. about 1.5 sugar cubes). The sugar content of icy drinks was generally higher than that of the iced tea or coffee. The sugar content of the less sweet versions among nine cold drink products was 24 per cent lower on average than that of their regular version.

The spokesman noted that red bean icy drinks (both the regular and less sweet versions) and the pineapple icy drinks (less sweet versions) were found to have a higher sugar content than the levels in a similar study in 2009, although 60 per cent of the non-alcoholic beverage items had sugar content over 10 per cent less than the levels in the 2009 study.

Among the 10 dessert products, three of them were found to contain sugars at a mean content of more than 15g per 100g (i.e. about three sugar cubes). They were macarons (mean being 39g per 100g), molten chocolate cakes (mean being 19g per 100g) and souffl�m (mean being 16g per 100g). The two dessert products with less sweet versions (caramel egg custard and glutinous rice ball with sesame filling) contained less sugar (8.3 per cent and 19 per cent respectively) than their regular counterparts.

As regards the 14 bakery products, six of them were found to contain sugars at a mean content of more than 15g per 100g (i.e. about three sugar cubes). They are plain cake (mean being 24g per 100g), spongy cake (mean being 20g per 100g), coconut tart (mean being 19g per 100g), muffin (mean being 19g per 100g), cookies (mean being 16g per 100g) and Swiss roll (mean being 16g per 100g). The three sweet bread products (mean being 13g to 15g per 100g) were found to contain sugar content higher than that of the white bread product (mean being 5.2g per 100g) but lower than that of the cake items (mean being 15g to 24g per 100g).

The spokesman said, "Although some food trade operators have implemented measures to reduce the sugar content in non-alcoholic beverages in recent years, some kinds of non-alcoholic beverages, even with less sweet versions, as well as dessert and bakery products, contained high sugar content. Less sweet versions of dessert and bakery products were less common in the market as compared to non-alcoholic beverages. Effort should be made to further reduce the sugar content in food products and that less sweet versions of dessert and bakery products should be made available for consumers.

"To reduce the sugar intake of the population, the trade is advised to make reference to the 'Trade Guidelines for Reducing Sugars and Fats in Foods' in producing and promoting wholesome and safe products with lower sugar content. For example, the trade can consider providing more reduced sugar content options and offering a range of portion sizes of products or smaller dishes for consumers to choose."

The spokesman added, "The public is advised to maintain a balanced and varied diet and limit the consumption of foods with a high amount of added sugars such as icy drinks, macarons and plain cakes. They should choose products that have lower sugar content and are smaller in portion sizes, and whenever possible order products that are less sweet and ask for syrup or sugars to be served separately."

The full report of the study is available on the CFS' webpage at www.cfs.gov.hk. The results have also been uploaded to the Nutrient Information Inquiry System (NIIS) at www.cfs.gov.hk/english/nutrient/index.php. The NIIS is an online database containing nutrient data of commonly consumed food items that are of relevance and interest to the local community.

Ends/Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:04