The report recommended the use of the term “free sugar”, which includes table sugar, the sugar added to food and drinks, and that found naturally in fruit juices, syrups and honey. For those who are overweight, the reduction in energy intake from sugars can contribute to weight loss, it says.
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Children should consume even less sugar, with a maximum for those aged four to six years old of 19 grams or five sugar cubes and 24g or six sugar cubes for those aged seven to 10.
A report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will suggest men and women should not exceed seven teaspoons of added sugar per day.
Prof Judith Buttriss of the British Nutrition Foundation said the type of sugar targeted was known as free sugar – all the different types of sugar that we have in our diet, excluding the sugars that are found in fruit and milk.
“Cut down on sugars, increase fibre and we’ll all have a better chance of living longer, healthier lives”. A high-sugar diet has been linked with conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Simon Capewell, professor of clinical epidemiology at Liverpool University and Action on Sugar adviser said: “British children and parents are now drowning in a world full of sugary drinks, cheap junk food and aggressive marketing”.
The Department of Health said that it accepted SACN’s recommendations, which will feed into its forthcoming national strategy on childhood obesity.
The lower volume of sugar could help reduce the amount of children admitted to hospital with tooth decay which is also a growing problem.
“Manufacturers must follow the example of retailers by introducing traffic light labelling, so it’s obvious how much sugar products contain especially those aimed at children”, he said.
“The food and drink industry does not want to cause any more harm to its consumers; they are waiting to be told what to do and it is essential that they are given a level playing field so that they are all working towards the same goal. “.
“We call on the government to support the SACN recommendations by outlawing the advertising of sugary drinks and foods to children”.
“Although Public Health England (PHE) has today highlighted SACN’s advice for people to minimise consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, the recommendations in its report are more far-reaching than this”.
“We hope SACN’s key recommendations will be translated into meaningful and practical diet and lifestyle messages which are consistently used by everyone with a voice in the health debate.”
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“Co-operation and collaboration will be required from many stakeholders, including the food industry, health professionals, policy makers and regulatory bodies to raise awareness of sources of free sugars and the benefits and sources of dietary fibre”.
