Analytical Report - Ready to drink drinks

Forty four samples were taken of ready to drink drinks, that is drinks that can be drunk straight from the container without the need for dilution with water. The samples included fruit juice based drinks and carbonated soft drinks such as lemonade.

The samples were taken to tie in with National Smile Week. This awareness week is organised by the British Dental Health Foundation (15 - 21 May) to promote good dental health. It is important that consumers are aware of the levels of sugar in such drinks as the more sugar it contians, the more damage it can cause to teeth, which leads to decay, fillings and even tooth removal.

Summary of Results

The levels of sugar ranged from less than 1g to as much as 12.2 g per 100g of product (which is about 4 teaspoons of sugar). 10 had over 9g (which is about 3 teaspoons), all of these were fruit juice type drinks.

'No added sugar' does not mean that the drink is sugar-free or will have low amounts of sugar. Sugar can be present because ingredients such as fruit juice naturally contain some sugars. Of the samples analysed, a 'with sweetener' declaration typically meant that the product had less sugar. Sweeteners are often added to drinks and other foods to reduce the need to add sugars without affecting taste. However some samples add both sugar and sweetener resulting in comparatively higher amounts of sugar.

Consumers should look at the nutrition information to see how much sugar is in a product , one teaspoon is about 3g. Not all foods have nutrition information with sugar details on the label. In these cases look at the ingredients list, the higher up 'sugar' is in the list, the more sugar it contains.

However, fruit juice drinks are not all bad as they contribute to the 5 portions a day that we are recommended to eat as part of a healthy diet - but it is better to have drinks with high levels of sugar such as juice drinks at meal times.

If you are drinking between meals, water and milk are good options. Alternatively, drink diluted sugar-free squashes, diluting 1 part cordial to at least 10 parts water.

For further information on dental health visit the website of the British Dental Health Foundation at www.dentalhealth.org.uk

Report Date: April 2005