Free sugars are all sugars added to foods or drinks during manufacturing, processing and preparation. Sugars that are naturally present in honey, syrup, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates are also part of free sugars.
World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reduction of daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake. However, for any health benefits, WHO further recommends reduction of sugar intake to less than 5% of total energy intake which translates to 6 teaspoons of sugar per day.
Much of the sugar we consume is hidden in processed foods traditionally not seen as sweet. Intake of free sugars especially in the form of sweetened beverages may reduce intake of more nutritionally adequate calories leading to unhealthy diets, weight gain and subsequent risk of non communicable illnesses.
Even though you aren’t pouring tons of sugar into your body, food manufacturer have sneaky ways of ensuring you are consuming more than you need.
- Listing small portion sizes
Food manufacturers will often list ingredients of smaller portions than the actual size of the product to make you think the food contains small amounts of sugar. For example, if a food weighs 500grams, the manufacturer may give you a list of ingredients per 100grams.The amount of sugar in such a serving will appear low while in fact the whole product contains way too much sugar.
- Using different types of sugars in one food
Ingredients on a food label are listed according to their weight. The more of an ingredient in food, the higher up the list it will be put. To make a product appear as if it has lesser sugar, manufacturers will often use more than two types of sugar so that they can individually appear further down the list which gives the consumer a false feeling that the product is healthier when sugar is actually one of the main ingredients.
- Use of words commonly associated with health on sugary foods
Food companies will often play with people’s psychology by using words that the general population associates with good health. For example, words like fruity or afya will give a consumer a false perception that a food is healthier while in real sense it might not be.
- Using alternative names for sugar on food labels
Added sugar comes in many forms with different names which makes it difficult to point out on the food label. There are more than 60 different types of sugars with different names than can be listed on a food label. Names like dextrose, fructose, sucrose, fructose corn syrup, rice syrup and maltose are just a few examples that most people wouldn’t consider as sugar.
- Adding sugar to food you least expect to have sugar
Just because a food doesn’t have a sweet taste doesn’t necessarily mean it is sugar free. Sugar can be added to all sorts of foods. For example, a table spoon of ketchup contains approximately one teaspoon of sugar. Most breakfast cereals also contain a lot of sugar.
- Use of substitutes
Products that are sweetened with unrefined sweeteners made from fruits, seeds and honey will often have big labels that state they do not contain refined sugars. This is a marketing strategy that catches the eye of many consumers. Even though these sugars may be a bit healthier, they are still added sugars and high consumption will have similar effects on health as refined sugars. All sweeteners are still sugar and should be consumed sparingly.
- Adding health claims to products
This is usually a mental game to make products appear healthier. Consumers will go for products labeled low fat, light or diet compared to normal products. Such foods may actually contain more sugar to than their original versions. For example, low fat products may be added a lot of sugar to make them taste better.
- Sweet versions of a low sugar brand
Food companies will often piggyback on established brands with loyal customers to release newer versions that will often contain too much sugar. This is often common with packet juices and breakfast cereals. For example a low sugar, whole grain breakfast cereal may have a new version with added ingredients, sugar, flavor and color.