It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one latte loaded with cinnamon, gingerbread, orange syrup and chocolate sprinkles.
But we might want to think twice before making that whipped-cream-nutmeg-white-chocolate concoction a daily occurrence – these tempting festive drinks still contain a lot of sugar, according to a new study.
Action on Sugar has found that high street coffee chains are failing to reduce the sugar content in their festive hot drinks – with some increasing since 2016.
The group also said that people who use alternatives to cow’s milk – like oat milk and coconut milk – are unknowingly consuming excessive sugar due to a lack of labelling, and the perception that vegan options are healthier.
The charity analysed the sugar and calorie content of the largest available sizes of 124 hot chocolates and 79 seasonal lattes made with milk and milk alternatives.
It found that some seasonal drinks contain almost as much sugar as three cans of Coca-Cola, with almost all of the largest available size products receiving a red traffic light for total sugars.
Action on Sugar said 27% of products directly comparable with a similar study in 2016 had increased their sugar content.
A regular vanilla latte from KFC had 19g of sugar in 2016 but now contains 26g, though a mocha from the outlet has reduced from 45.1g of sugar to 21g over the same period.
Costa has decreased the sugar content of some products by more than 50% since 2016.
‘It is shocking that so many high street coffee chains are wilfully putting their customers’ health at risk despite Public Health England (PHE) setting sugar reduction targets for sugary milk drinks in 2018,’ says registered nutritionist Holly Gabriel, from Action on Sugar.
‘Responsible coffee shops have shown reformulation is possible within this category.
‘For example, Costa have made some significant reductions in sugar since 2016 and some now offer smaller sizes as standard for seasonal drinks.
‘Coffee shops and cafes need to take much greater steps to reduce the levels of sugar and portion sizes, promote lower sugar alternatives and stop pushing indulgent extras at the till.’
The study found that Starbucks’ Signature Caramel Hot Chocolate with whipped cream, using oat milk and in venti size, had the highest sugar content of the hot chocolates surveyed.
It contained more than 23 teaspoons, or 93.7g, of sugar and 758 calories – equivalent to four white chocolate and strawberry muffins from Tesco.
The seasonal latte with the most sugar is the Starbucks Gingerbread Latte with oat milk in venti size, containing more than 14 teaspoons of sugar and 523 calories.
The festive coffees with the highest sugar levels
- Mint Hot Chocolate – Pret a Manger: 47.9g sugar
- Hazelnut Hot Chocolate – Pret a Manger: 47.9 sugar
- Mint Mocha – Greggs: 46g sugar
- Mint Hot Chocolate – Greggs: 46g sugar
- Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – Caffé Nero: 38.8g sugar
- Hazelnut Hot Chocolate – Caffé Nero: 38.2g sugar
- Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate – Starbucks: 36.7g sugar
- Ginger Hot Chocolate – Caffé Nero: 35.8g sugar
- Egg Nog Latte – Starbucks: 33.8g sugar
- Hazelnut Praline & Cream Frostino – Costa Coffee: 33.2g sugar
Dietitians at The Hospital Group have analysed the festive menus from the UK’s favourite coffee chains and found that some of our festive faves contain nearly double the recommended daily sugar intake.
‘Consuming an Irish Velvet & Cream Latte will mean your calories soar to 360kcal – the same as their Ham & Emmenthal Croissant,’ says George Hamlyn-Williams, principal dietitian.
‘We like to treat ourselves occasionally, but maybe think about asking them to hold the cream or maybe ask for a sugar-free syrup as well as opting for skimmed milk?’
There were variations in the sugar content of milk alternatives used in hot chocolates and seasonal lattes.
A venti latte with oat milk from Starbucks had more than seven teaspoons of sugar and 350 calories.
But a venti latte with almond milk from Starbucks contained under three teaspoons of sugar and 121 calories.
Katharine Jenner, campaign director at Action on Sugar, adds: ‘You can always add sugar in, but you can’t take it out.
‘Customers looking for dairy alternatives could be shocked to learn that many coffee shops and cafes use pre-sweetened alternative milks as the nutrition information is often very difficult to find – with information only available on websites or not at all.’
She called for coffee shops to display clear nutritional information at the point of sale.
In the study, hot chocolates and seasonal lattes were surveyed across Caffe Nero, Starbucks, Costa, KFC, Greggs, McDonalds, EAT, Leon and Pret.
Seasonal lattes were classed as any drink offered as a seasonal special and including the term latte in the product name. Researchers used nutritional information found on company websites between 11-22 November.
So if you’ve developed a bit of a habit for sickly winter warmers this season, maybe try to limit yourself to once a week. Or face the wrath of your dentist.
MORE: UK’s first ever Christmas Brow Bar will give you sparkly eyebrows for free
MORE: How to make your Christmas dinner more Instagram-friendly
MORE: How your boozy Christmas parties are affecting your workouts
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/03/still-scary-amount-sugar-christmas-coffee-11260801/
0 Comments