- Tesco announces further reductions of sugar levels in its own brand soft drinks
Tesco reaches next reformulation milestone in bid to give customers healthier choices.
CHESHUNT, England, 2016-Nov-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — As part of its ongoing commitment to reduce the sugar, fat and salt content across all its own brands to help Britain’s shoppers make healthier choices, today (7 Nov 2016) Tesco has announced further reductions to sugar levels in its own brand soft drinks. The drinks will be available in Tesco stores from Friday, 11 November.
The move supports the increasingly recognised recommendation that sugars should make up no more than 5 per cent of people’s daily diet and halves the sugar content in some products including Tesco Cola.
Matt Davies, Tesco UK and ROI CEO said: “This is just one part of our plans to make the food on our shelves healthier by reducing levels of sugar, salt and fat in our own brands.
“We have worked to make sure our soft drinks still taste great, just with less sugar. Tesco customers are now consuming on average over 20 per cent less sugar from our soft drinks than in 2011.
“We’re hoping this initiative will help make it a little easier for our customers to live more healthily.”
Chris Askew, Diabetes UK CEO welcomed the move, saying: “Helping customers lead healthier lives by reducing sugar in its own brand soft drinks is a welcome move by Tesco. Similar action from other manufacturers and retailers to make products lower in sugar, saturated fat and salt is vital to tackle rising rates of obesity in the UK.
“Making the healthy choice the easy choice for all of us will help to tackle the rapidly rising number of people developing Type 2 diabetes.”
Tesco started reducing sugar in its soft drinks in 2011, and today the final 50 products in the 251-strong range have been reformulated to below 5 grams per 100ml. This work means the average Tesco customer is now consuming over 20 per cent less sugar from own brand soft drinks than they did in 2011.
In addition to its work on soft drinks, Tesco has also cut the salt, fat and sugar in over 4,200 of its own products since 2012 and has plans for reductions in a further 1,000 products each year for the next three years. For example, over 300 tonnes of saturated fat and 15 tonnes of salt have been removed from Tesco own brand butter and spreads. Over 65 tonnes of fat, 600 tonnes of sugar and 27 tonnes of salt have been removed from the Tesco own brand cooking sauces range.
Notes to Editors
- Further Tesco action on health:
- In 2015 Tesco announced that all the children’s lunchbox-sized soft drinks it sells would have no added sugar in them.
- In 2014 Tesco announced it would become the first major retailer to remove sweets and chocolates from its checkouts across all store formats, including smaller convenience stores.
- Earlier this year Tesco introduced free fruit for kids in over 800 Tesco stores across the UK. This is aimed at promoting healthy eating habits among kids that will stay with them as they grow up, and to make it easier for children to get the fruit and vegetables they need.
- So far over one million children have visited farms, factories and Tesco stores to learn about where their food comes from and how to eat more healthily through Tesco’s Eat Happy project.
- Tesco is part of a long-term national partnership with Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation focused on improving the nation’s health.
- The SACN (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) report published in July 2015 included a recommendation that “the average population intake of free sugars should account for no more than 5% daily dietary energy intake”.
- Regular Tesco Cola previously contained 9.7g of sugar per 100ml and now contains 4.8g of sugar per 100ml. All products now contain less than 5g of sugar per 100ml.
We are a team of 480,000 in 11 markets dedicated to serving shoppers a little better every day.
For more information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01707 918 701.
Source: Tesco
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