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Abstract
Objective The consumption of carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages (CSSBs) is associated with a range of health problems, but little is known about the sugar and energy content of CSSBs in China. The study aimed to investigate the sugar and energy content of CSSBs in Beijing, China.
Study design We carried out a cross-sectional survey in 15 different supermarkets from July to October 2017 in Haidian District, Beijing.
Methods The product packaging and nutrient labels of CSSBs were recorded by a snapshot in time to obtain company name, product name, serving size, and nutrient content, that is, carbohydrate, sugar and energy. For CSSB labels not showing sugar content, we used carbohydrate content as substitute. The sugar and energy content of CSSBs within each type of flavour were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test. The sugar content within the recommended levels was described using frequency. We also compared the sugar and energy content of top 5 CSSBs in terms of sales among three countries (China, UK and USA).
Results A total of 93 CSSB products were found. The median sugar content was 9.3 (IQR: 5.7–11.2) g/100 mL, and the energy content was 38 (IQR: 23–46) kcal/100 mL. There were 79 products labelled ‘Red’ (high) per serving based on the criteria set in the UK (>11.25 g/100 mL). We found 62.4% of CSSBs had sugar content per serving that exceeds the daily free sugar intake for adults (25 g) recommended by the WHO. Some of the branded products sold in China had higher sugar content when they were compared with those in Western countries.
Conclusions CSSBs in Beijing, China have high sugar and energy content. Reduction in sugar content and serving size of CSSBs and taxation policy on beverages will be beneficial in reducing sugar intake in China.
- sugar-sweetened beverages
- energy
- portion size
- taxation
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Footnotes
FJH and HW contributed equally.
Contributors HW, FJH had full access to all of the study data, and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: LL, HW. Acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data: LL, CL, CJ, YP, KMH, FJH, GAM, HW. Drafting of the manuscript: LL. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: LL, CL, CJ, YP, KMH, FJH, GAM, HW. Administrative, technical or material support: HW, FJH. Study supervision: HW.
Funding This work was supported by grants from Beijing Natural Science Foundation (grant number 7162106) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81573170).
Competing interests KMH is an employee of Consensus Action on Salt, Sugar and Health (CASSH), a non-profit charitable organisation. FJH is a member of the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) and its international branch World Action on Salt and Health (WASH). FJH does not receive any financial support from CASH or WASH. GAM is Chairman of Blood Pressure UK (BPUK), Chairman of CASSH and Chairman of WASH. BPUK, CASSH and WASH are non-profit charitable organisations. GAM does not receive financial support from any of these organisations.
Patient consent Not required.
Ethics approval Ethical permission was not required for this survey because it included no human or animal participants.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement No additional data are available.