The content of caloric and non-caloric sweeteners in soft drinks in Germany

Abstract

AimsSweetened soft drinks play a major role in the global epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which sweeteners, i.e. sugar and non-sugar sweeteners, are used in soft drinks (Erfrischungsgetränke) in Germany. MethodsThe authors visited three supermarkets representing Germany's leading food retailers and purchased all available soft drinks. These products were then evaluated on the basis of their content of non-sugar sweeteners (contained/not contained) and sugar (four levels: sugar-free, moderate sugar content, high sugar content, very high sugar content). The authors were able to identify a total of 463 different products. ResultsOf the soft drinks available in the visited supermarkets, 59% contain more than 5 g of sugar per 100 ml (high sugar content), and 37% contain more than 8 g of sugar per 100 ml (very high sugar content). Only 12% of the products are sugar-free, whereby 89% of these contain non-sugar sweeteners. A mere 6 of the 463 soft drinks in Germany that were examined in the context of this study (1.3%) contain neither sugar nor non-sugar sweeteners. ConclusionsThe majority of the soft drinks available in the visited supermarkets have a high or very high sugar content. The vast majority of calorie-free soft drinks contain other types of sweeteners. Only a very small percentage of the available soft drinks are unsweetened. There is a significant potential for the reduction of sugar content through reformulation.