Almost 80 per cent of single-serve drinks available in New Zealand supermarkets are sugary, according to research out of the University of Auckland.
The study tracked drinks on New World, Four Square, Countdown and Pak‘nSave shelves in Auckland over the past seven years to establish whether significant change was made in the availability, sugar content and serving size of non-alcoholic drinks.
The research showed that over the seven years there was an increase in the availability of sugar-free and low sugar beverages and of 'craft' sugar-sweetened soft drinks such as kombucha.
This increase explains some of the decline in total average sugar content for some beverage groups, according to research led by Dr Teresa Gontijo de Castro and Dr Sally Mackay.
However, these changes were not meaningful, as in 2019 a significant number of New Zealand drinks — 72.9 per cent — would be subject to a 'sugar levy' if the UK’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy was applied here, Castro said.
“Over half the drinks had between six to 12 teaspoons of sugar per drink."
The 80 per cent estimate applies to single-serve drinks, those marketed to be consumed at one sitting.
The availability of smaller-sized drinks below 250 millilitres fell between 2013 and 2019, which is concerning given the potential link between larger serving sizes and obesity.
”Industry pledges are not working. Government measures are needed to if we are to achieve a meaningful reduction in sugar content and serving sizes of drinks,” Mackay said.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of sugars in NZ children’s diets, which are linked to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and tooth decay, the research said.
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