Supermarket giant Tesco has lowered the amount of sugar in its own brand soft drinks.
The move has been made ahead of the proposed sugar tax announced earlier this year, which will begin in 2018. The levy will see food and drink manufacturers taxed if they fail to reduce sugar in products by 20 per cent.
Tesco has cut their sugar levels in around 50 products to below 5g of sugar per 100ml, and halved the sugar in products such as Tesco Cola to meet nutrition recommendations. The new range of Tesco’s reduced soft drinks will be in stores from November 11.
This announcement marks the final step of Tesco’s reformulation of its 251-strong range that began in 2011.
Public health minister Nicola Blackwood added: “It is great to see Tesco leading the field by reducing the level of sugar in their own brand drinks.
“The government’s sugar levy is designed to encourage manufacturers to cut the sugar from their products before the levy comes into force in 2018. Responsible actions like this are so important in our fight against childhood obesity.”
Last month, New York-based PepsiCo revealed it is planning to reduce the added sugar in two third of its drinks by 2025.
While steps such as these are welcomed as part of tackling the rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes worldwide, sugary drinks remain harmful when consumed on a regular basis.
Consuming 5g of sugar per 100ml still represents a hefty load of sugar; a 250ml serving would therefore contain over three teaspoons of sugar.
For people with diabetes, or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it’s particularly important to avoid sugary drinks unless they are being used to treat hypoglycemia.

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