An Online Survey on Consumer Knowledge and Understanding of Added Sugars

Tierney, Mary Jo; Gallagher, Alison M.; Giotis, Efstathios S.; Pentieva, Kristina

doi:10.3390/nu9010037

Cited by 61 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Limited awareness of the correct definition of added sugar among the participants was also observed. A similar finding was reported among population of developed countries, including Ireland [18]. Influence of the social media on the nutritional knowledge of young adults has been suggested previously [26]; however, true definition of added sugar can be difficult to be understood through the social media.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Limited knowledge of dietary sugar and sweetener classification on food labels (natural sugar, added sugar, and artificial sweetener) was evident in Ireland, as only 4% of the study sample were able to correctly classify 10 or more ingredients from a list that contained 13 items. The study also reported that only 35% of the study sample were aware of the added sugar recommendation made by the WHO [18]. Additionally, the price per calorie for foods that are high in added sugar is lower compared to the price per calorie for healthy food options [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Towards Added Sugar Consumption among Undergraduate Female Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mumena¹,

Aa²,

Aa³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Intake of added sugar among populations in developed countries is linked to the increased prevalence of many non-communicable diseases; however, data regarding added sugar intake in developing countries are still lacking. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practices towards added sugar intake and the associations with nutrient intake and weight status. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 190 healthy undergraduate female students of Taibah University, Madinah. Demographics, dietary intake, and anthropometrics (height, weight, and waist circumference (WC)) were collected during face-to-face interviews. Results : Even though 55.8% of students (n=106) were aware about the health consequences of excessive intake of added sugar, only 32.6% (n=62) made an effort to reduce their added sugar intake. Nine percent of students (n=16) consumed carbonated soft drinks daily, while 16.1% of students (n=30) consumed fruit drinks daily. Eighty-two percent (n=155) of the sample exceeded the recommendation of added sugar of <5% of total energy intake. Students who exceeded the recommendation of added sugar consumed lower quantities of protein, iron, and vitamin D. Added sugar intake was linked to nutrient intake, but not the weight status. Conclusions : Our findings indicated excessive intake of added sugar among young females. The observed inverse relationship between added sugar and macro- and micronutrient intakes highlight the urgent need for expanded efforts to limit the added sugar and to improve dietary quality of young population in Saudi Arabia.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Towards Added Sugar Consumption among Undergraduate Female Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mumena¹,

Aa²,

Aa³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Some added sugar (EFSA) (1% TE) was also derived from Sugar-other ingredients which are likely to be derived from hidden sugar ingredients such as isoglucose. These hidden ingredients can be challenging to identify as added sugar on food labels [24,33]. This reinforces the need for clear labelling of ingredients in foods alongside product reformulation programmes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in all age groups, "sugars, preserves, sweet spreads" contributed to 8%-12% of Sugar-pureed fruit intake, and, in children and teenagers, "sugar confectionary" contributed to 6%-10% of Sugar-fruit juice intake. Specific sugar components such as Sugar-honey can also add into free sugar intake through foods that can be seen as healthy or sugar free [24,25]. For example, across all age groups, "breakfast cereals" contributed to Sugar-honey intake (7%-14%), "yogurt, fromage frais, dairy desserts" (12%-25%) and "diet soft drinks" (8%-21%) contributed to the Sugar-pureed fruit intake, and "savoury sauces and condiments" contributed to 3%-6% of Sugar-fruit juice intake which indicates that honey is widely used in breakfast cereals, pureed fruit is used in "yogurt, fromage frais, dairy desserts" and "diet soft drinks", and fruit juice is used in "savoury sauces and condiments".…”

Section: Contribution Of Food Sources To Sugar Intakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free and Added Sugar Consumption and Adherence to Guidelines: The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2014/15–2015/16)

et al. 2020

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Monitoring dietary intake of sugars in the population's diet has great importance in evaluating the efficiency of national sugar reduction programmes. The study objective was to provide a comprehensive assessment of dietary sources of added and free sugars to assess adherence to public health recommendations in the UK population and to consider the impact of different sugar definitions on monitoring. The terms "added sugar" and "free sugar" are different sugar definitions which include different sugar components and may result in different sugar intakes depending on the definition. Dietary intake of added sugars, free sugars and seven individual sugar components (sugar from table sugar; other sugars; honey; fruit juice; fruit puree; dried fruit; and stewed fruit) of 2138 males and females (1.5-64 years) from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) 2014-2016, collected using a 4 day estimated food diary, were studied. Added and free sugar intake accounted for 7% to 13% of total energy intake respectively. Major sources of free sugar intake were "cereals and cereal products", "non-alcoholic beverages", and "sugars, preserves, confectionery". Differences between added and free sugar intake were significantly large, and thus use of free sugar versus added sugar definitions need careful consideration for standardised monitoring of sugar intake in relation to public health.Nutrients 2020, 12, 393 2 of 18 this includes a sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme introduced by Public Health England [9] and a "sugar tax" on sweetened drinks, officially called the Soft Drinks Industry Levy which took effect in April 2018 [10]. Efficient quantification of the dietary sources of added and free sugar in the population's diet has prominent importance in evaluating sugar reduction programmes. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued dietary guidelines which recommend limiting free sugar intake to less than 10% of daily energy intake [1]. In the UK, the recommendation by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is for no more than 5% of total energy intake to come from free sugars [7]. However, there are different and inconsistent definitions of what constitutes added and free sugars that are used by international and national organisations [11] which present important considerations for public health monitoring and surveillance programmes and for comparison across countries and over time. For example, the free sugar definition used by the SACN in the UK [7] includes sugars within pureed fruits, whereas this distinction is not made by the WHO [1].The term "sugars," as applied to human diets, is a collective term for several different chemical species. Thus, "table sugar" is essentially pure sucrose, whereas fruit juice, honey and syrups contain mixtures of sucrose, glucose and fructose, and often oligosaccharides of different size. These compounds are invariably combined as "sugars". In this paper, added sugars are defined according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) definition [12] which i...

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“…Popular strategies to reduce intake of sugars are cutting back on processed and pre‐packaged foods, as well as HFSS foods such as cakes, biscuits, sugar‐sweetened carbonated drinks and fruit juices, and use of nutrition labels (Tierney et al . 2017). However, consumers face challenges putting these strategies into practice including poor understanding of food labels, difficulty in classifying ingredients as free or added sugars and confusion around which types of sugars to reduce.…”

Section: Strategies For Achieving Sugar Reduction – Common Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health rationale for reducing sugar: Strategies and challenges

Stanner

Spiro

2020

Nutrition Bulletin

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The continuing global increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity, particularly amongst children, attracts widespread public and political attention. Obesity is a complex condition, with multi‐faceted determinants, and prevention strategies require consideration of dietary and lifestyle patterns alongside a range of environmental factors. Reduction in intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages and foods is advised around the world as part of healthier dietary patterns to help reduce energy intakes, obesity risk and obesity‐related disorders. Current intakes indicate that this is challenging and will likely require a concerted approach with a broad range of interventions including fiscal measures. In recent years, after some notable success with salt and trans fats, there has been considerable focus on food reformulation to support the reduction in population intakes of free sugars from manufactured foods, often without need for consumer behaviour change. In some products, particularly sugar‐sweetened beverages, reformulation is relatively easy and has been widely achieved, as the sweetness of sugars can be replaced with low‐calorie sweeteners. However, other products, in which sugar delivers a variety of functional properties, are more challenging to reformulate to maintain consumer acceptance and achieve a reduction in energy, alongside sugar, content. This paper will look at current definitions and recommendations for free (or added) sugars, as well as key dietary sources and trends in intakes, and explore various strategies to promote population reductions in intake of sugars for public health, including the opportunities and challenges presented by reformulation using low‐calorie sweeteners. Ultimately strategies to promote sugar reduction, including reformulation, should adopt a holistic approach that considers wider dietary recommendations.

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An Online Survey on Consumer Knowledge and Understanding of Added Sugars

Cited by 61 publications

References 25 publications

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Towards Added Sugar Consumption among Undergraduate Female Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Towards Added Sugar Consumption among Undergraduate Female Students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Free and Added Sugar Consumption and Adherence to Guidelines: The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2014/15–2015/16)

Public health rationale for reducing sugar: Strategies and challenges

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