Iced coffees ‘can comprise extra sugar than Coca-Cola’

Iced espresso drinks from excessive road chains can comprise extra sugar than a Mars bar or can of Coca-Cola, a survey has discovered.

Which? in contrast frappes and frappuccinos from Caffe Nero, Costa and Starbucks to search out many had “exceptionally high” quantities of sugar.  One of the unhealthiest choices was a Starbucks caramel frappuccino with semi-skimmed milk containing 48.5g of sugar, or 12 teaspoons’ price.

A Caffe Nero Belgian chocolate and hazelnut frappe creme contained 44.5g of sugar, equal to 11 teaspoons. At Costa, a chocolate fudge brownie frappe mocha with oat milk included 42.6g of sugar, or 10.5 teaspoons.

A 51g Mars bar comprises 31g of sugar, or 7.5 teaspoons, whereas a 330ml can of Coca-Cola comprises 35g of sugar, or round eight and a half teaspoons.

Even plain espresso flavour frappes and frappuccinos have been discovered to comprise “relatively high” quantities of sugar.  A Costa Coffee frappe with skimmed milk contained 21.3g of sugar, Which? discovered.

While the calorie content material of the drinks have to be displayed in shops, the sugar content material doesn’t, which might depart shoppers vulnerable to unwittingly exceeding the utmost advisable each day consumption of free sugars, the watchdog mentioned.  Dairy-based drinks derive some “locked in” sugar from lactose, however all of the drinks additionally contained excessive quantities of “free sugars”, these which were added and contained in syrups, honey and fruit juice.

Health recommendation is to restrict consumption of those sugars because of their potential to contribute to weight achieve and tooth harm.  Which? instructed shoppers wishing to chop their sugar consumption change to iced variations of an ordinary espresso as a substitute.

The Government launched a Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) in 2018, often called the “sugar tax”, in an try to chop unhealthy ranges of consumption.  However, some drinks are exempt from the tax, together with fruit juices and drinks made on-site and served in open cups.

Syrups, usually utilized in frappes, are additionally exempt.  Which? nutritionist Shefalee Loth mentioned: “Our analysis of sugar content in iced coffee blends shows people could unwittingly be consuming much more sugar than they realise, with potentially damaging implications for their health.

“High street chains need to take more responsibility and reduce the excessive sugar content of some of their drinks to protect people’s health.  When buying an iced drink, there are alternative, healthier options to choose, such as a standard iced coffee, which contains far less sugar.”

A Starbucks spokeswoman mentioned: “We are committed to helping customers make informed and improved choices that work for them, offering a range of customisation options such as choosing our smallest size (Tall) and our oat dairy alternative with no added sugar.  Sugar content for an Iced Latte with Semi Skimmed Milk, one of our most popular beverages, starts from 8.7g for a Tall size.

“Customers can find all nutritional information available on our mobile app, online and our menu boards.”

Caffe Nero mentioned its Belgian chocolate and hazelnut frappe creme was a “treat” and accounted for lower than 5% of its gross sales of summer time drinks, whereas “coffee over ice” drinks, which contained lower than 8g of sugar, accounted for 50% of summer time drink gross sales.  The chain added that its iced latte, its highest vendor, contained no added sugar.

A Costa Coffee spokeswoman mentioned: “We are proud to offer a balanced range of drinks which also includes, as part of our summer menu, a fruity range of refreshers which all contain less than 40 calories and two teaspoons of added sugar per serving.

“We only offer our limited-edition seasonal drinks, including our summer range of frappes, in small and medium sizes. All drinks can also be customised to reduce the calorie or sugar content, including requesting skimmed milk and removing toppings, or downsizing to a smaller cup size.”