Soft Drinks
(asked on 31st January 2017) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the comparative effects on health of (a) sugar and (b) artificial sweeteners in drinks.
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), an independent committee that advises government, and based on review of the evidence concluded that higher sugar consumption increases energy intake and also the risk of tooth decay. SACN recommended in its report ‘Carbohydrates and health’ (July 2015) that the average population intake of sugar should not exceed 5% of daily energy intake and also that sugar sweetened drinks should be minimised, as they lead to weight gain in children. The report can be accessed at:
Evidence considered as part of Public Health England’s (PHE) report ‘Sugar reduction: The evidence for action’ found that replacing foods and drinks sweetened with sugar with those containing no or low calorie sweeteners could be useful in helping people to manage weight as they reduce the calorie content of foods and drinks whilst maintaining a sweet taste. A copy of this report can be accessed at:
PHE endorses the European Food Safety Authority’s scientific opinion that low/no-calorie sweeteners are a safe and acceptable alternative to using sugar in food and drinks.