Research has found that typical yoghurt sold in the UK contains approximately half the recommended daily amount of sugar for adults, with some containing more sugar than Coca-Cola. Only two percent of yoghurts marketed towards children were recorded as having a low sugar content.
In the research, around 900 yoghurts were assessed in terms of nutritional content. Food labelling systems in the UK see products containing under five grams of sugar per 100 grams receiving a ‘green’ rating. Yoghurts containing more than 22.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams are categorised as high in sugar. On average, organic yoghurts were revealed to have around 13.1 grams per 100 grams and 10.8 grams in children’s yoghurt. Put in perspective, 100 millilitres of Coca-Cola has around 10.6 grams of sugar.
“While yoghurt may be less likely to trigger anxiety than soft drinks and fruit juices, worrying that yoghurt was perceived as ‘healthy food’, can be an unrecognised source of free and added sugars in the diet. Although the organic label applies to products associated with a beneficial health effect, this means that consumers often underestimate the calories and eat organic products, including yoghurts, more favourably,” said researchers from the Universities of Surrey and Leeds.
