Scandalous Amount Of Sugar Found In Starbucks Drinks

February 18th, 2016

Awake Goy

Starbucks and other coffee-house chains like Costa serve shocking amounts of sugar in some of their popular hot drinks.

Evening Post reports:

The high levels have been exposed by campaign group Action on Sugar.

It said 35 per cent of flavoured hot drinks contained the same amount or more sugar than the nine teaspoons in a can of Coca Cola.

The group looked at 131 hot flavoured drinks in its study.

It found that 98 per cent of them would receive a red/high label for excessive levels of sugars per serving of the drink.

Starbucks’ Hot Mulled Fruit Grape with Chai, Orange and Cinnamon Venti contained a massive 25 teaspoons of sugar, more than three times the recommended adult daily intake of free sugars in just one cup.

There were 20 teaspoons of sugar in Costa Coffee’s large Chai Latte.

The drinks with the highest sugar content, according to the group, were (4g of sugar is equal to one teaspoon):

1. Starbucks Hot Mulled Fruit Grape with Chai, Orange and Cinnamon (Venti): 99g of sugar (25 teaspoons)

2. Costa Chai Lattee Massimo (Eat In): 79.7g of sugar (20 teaspoons)

3. Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (Venti): 73.8g of sugar (18 teaspoons)

4. Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolate (Venti): 60g of sugar (15 teaspoons)

5. KFC Mocha: 58.8g of sugar (15 teaspoons)

6. Caffe Nero Caramelatte (Drink In): 50.6g of sugar (13 teaspoons)

Each of the above drinks, apart from the first, contain some sugars (lactose) naturally occuring in the milk.

It is estimated that the UK drinks 1.7 billion cups of coffee each year.

Coffee chains are being called on by Action on Sugar to stop serving extra-large cups of sugar-laden drinks.

“This is yet again another example of scandalous amount of sugar added to our food and drink,” said Professor Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London.

“No wonder we have the highest rates of obesity in Europe. Cameron (Prime Minister David Cameron) now has all the evidence to make the UK the first country in the world to stop the obesity and type two diabetes epidemic.

“To do this Cameron has to be radical and follow every single action that we have set out in our comprehensive plan. Otherwise it will be the final nail in an already bankrupt NHS.”

In response to the report, a spokeswoman for Starbucks is reported as saying that the chain planned to reduce added sugar by 25 per cent in its “indulgent drinks” by the end of 2020.

She added: “We also offer a wide variety of lighter options, sugar-free syrups and sugar-free natural sweetener and we display all nutritional information in-store and online.”

Costa head of communications, Kerry Parkin, said the chain would be setting salt and sugar reduction targets for 2020, but had already taken significant steps in this area.