A new study reveals today that Pret a Manger’s Lemon Drizzle Slice contains a whopping 18 teaspoons of sugar per slice.
And that’s more sugar than in 10 Krispy Kremes!
Next up was Starbucks’ Christmas Carrot Cake with 15 teaspoons of sugar per serving – that’s more sugar than eight Krispy Kremes, followed by Pret a Manger’s Double Berry Muffins loaded with a shocking 10 teaspoons of sugar per serving.
Now Action on Sugar, who conducted the survey, is urging food manufacturers and cafes to get behind Public Health England’s voluntary sugar reduction programme to help tackle dental decay as well as rising obesity levels and cases of type 2 diabetes.
Even within cafes, there was a big difference in sugar and calorie content per serving. A Caffé Nero Lemon Poppyseed Muffin contains three teaspoons less sugar than the same choice in Starbucks per serving.
Across each of the three cake varieties supermarkets offered lower calories and sugar per serving, compared to those sold in cafes – demonstrating that manufacturers can make cakes with less calories and sugar, partly due to smaller portion sizes. Therefore, more immediate action is needed from cafes.
Below is a list of the three worst offenders and best three performers for each flavour, sorted by highest calories per serving.
Lemon
Brand
Product name
Serving size (g)*
Energy (kcal) per serving**
Sugar (tsp) per serving
Worst offenders
Pret a Manger
Lemon Drizzle Slice
172
698
18
Starbucks
Lemon Poppyseed Muffin
131
470
11
Caffé Nero
Lemon Poppyseed Muffin
120
461
8
Best performers
McVitie’s
McVitie’s Golden Sticky Lemon Pudding Cake
25.4
91
2
Morrisons
Morrisons Lemon Cake Slices 6 Pack
26
109
2
Bonne Maman
Bonne Maman Lemon Cakes with poppy seeds
25
110
3
Carrot
Brand
Product name
Serving size (g)*
Energy (kcal) per serving**
Sugar (tsp) per serving
Worst offenders
Starbucks
Christmas Carrot Cake
146
616
15
Costa
Layered Carrot Cake
153
593
14
Paul
Gateau aux Carottes
177
566.8
13
Best performers
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers 5 Carrot Cake Slices Snack Packs
26
84
3
Asda
Asda Extra Special Hand Finished Carrot, Courgette and Orange Loaf Cake
45
176
4
Waitrose
Waitrose 1 Carrot Cake
62
237
5
Blueberry
Brand
Product name
Serving size (g)*
Energy (kcal) per serving**
Sugar (tsp) per serving
Worst offenders
Pret a Manger
Double Berry Muffin
145
512
10
Starbucks
Blueberry Muffin
122
472
7
Costa
Blueberry Muffin
125
452
8
Best performers
Asda
Asda Free-From Gluten 12 Blueberry Mini Muffins
19
70
1
Lidl
Lidl Rowan Hill Bakery 12 Blueberry Mini Muffins
24
96
1
Sainsbury
Sainsbury's Bakery Blueberry Mini Muffin
30
122
2
**As recommended on pack or as sold. Serving/portion size varies as given on pack or as sold.
Sugar reduction is one of the most important strategy to prevent obesity, providing the calorie content is also reduced.
In addition to sugar reduction, companies must also reduce portion size and shift purchasing patterns to healthier options to reduce the overall amount of sugar consumed by the population.
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