Overweight Sugar content in soft drinks should be reduced by 50 percent

Health experts demand 50 percent less sugar in soft drinks

Health experts are calling for half the sugar content in traditional soft drinks. That this is possible is evident in the UK. The reduction of the sweetener would be an important contribution in the fight against obesity and related diseases.

Unhealthy drinks

"Sugar sweetened drinks should generally be drunk only in small amounts, because they contain many calories and can contribute to the emergence of obesity," writes the German Nutrition Society (DGE) on its website. In addition, the frequent consumption of sodas and coke can lead to health problems such as tooth decay, high blood pressure and diabetes. Therefore, it is generally to be welcomed when politicians are working to reduce the consumption of soft drinks via soft drinks. But what the Federal Food Ministry is planning, is far too little for health experts.

Health experts demand that the sugar content in traditional soft drinks be reduced by 50 percent. The sweet drinks contribute to the prevalence of obesity and related diseases. (Image: airborne77 / fotolia.com)

Lower the frequency of obesity

"We want to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity and the associated diseases in Germany," said Federal Nutrition Minister Julia Klöckner recently in a statement.

"A building block to achieve this goal is our reduction and innovation strategy," said the politician.

This focuses on "reducing energy intake by reducing sugars and fats, as well as lowering high salt levels in finished products."

But what the Ministry is planning, according to health experts is far from sufficient.

Halving the sugar content can be implemented

Barbara Bitzer, spokeswoman for the German Alliance for Noncommunicable Diseases (DANK), said on the recently released draft by the Federal Food Ministry for a National Strategy for the Reduction and Innovation of Sugar, Fats and Salt in Finished Products, according to a report published by the Information Service Science (idw):

"The reduction strategy is just weakening in the crucial issues of soft drinks and children's marketing. For soft drinks, it is not enough if Federal Minister of nutrition Julia Klöckner calls for a 'significant double-digit sugar reduction' - including the industry can understand a relatively small reduction of 15 or 20 percent.

According to Bitzer, "for conventionally sweet coke and lemonade, a sugar reduction by 50 percent" is necessary. "The example of the UK proves that this can be implemented quickly," says the expert.

Also, the German Diabetes Association (DDG), which is a member of the DANK, calls for 50 percent sugar reduction in soft drinks.

"In view of the fact that soft drinks as additional calorie carriers have a major influence on the development of obesity, we urge Ms. Klöckner to reach this target in concrete agreements with industry," said DDG President Professor Dr. med. med. Dirk Müller-Wieland in a message published by idw.

Special children's foods are unnecessary

THANKS also criticizes the goal that products with children's look "should not have any less favorable nutrient composition than those that are not specifically aimed at children":

"It's no progress when children's products are just as unhealthy as regular products," said Bitzer. "Of all people, a particularly vulnerable group is not protected here, presumably not to restrict industry's sales interests."

Müller-Wieland from the DDG says: "Special children's food is actually completely unnecessary. If anything, they should have a particularly favorable nutrient composition. "

The German Noncommunicable Diseases Alliance calls for a ban on marketing aimed at children and adolescents if the product can not be considered healthy by the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The experts welcome the Minister's announcement to closely monitor the implementation of the reduction and to examine regulatory measures in the event of a "lack of cooperation".

"We very much hope that the industry is now taking advantage of this last chance," says Bitzer: "The medical societies affiliated to DANK will closely follow the process and take Ms. Klöckner at his word." (Ad)