Sugar content of high street lunch options exposed
Researchers from the makingthingseasy.com website have exposed the high levels of sugar in high street lunch combinations including 'healthy' soups, salads and sandwiches. The founder of the website, Janey Holliday, is calling for improved food labelling in take-outs, coffee shops and supermarkets to help people better understand how much sugar they are eating. Campaigners, including Jamie Oliver, have suggested that sugar content be listed in terms of teaspoons rather than grams. 

Some high street lunch combinations, including 'healthy' soups, salads and sandwiches, can be packed with more sugar than a can of Coke.

One leading chain - EAT - is offering what appears to be a nutritious and tasty lunchtime option in the form of its autumn squash and maple soup.

However, the largest portion comes in at 36g of sugar, which is equivalent to nine teaspoons and slightly more than the 35g in a regular can of Coca-Cola.

If you were to add in an oat and fruit slice from EAT and a mango smoothie, that would take the meal up to the equivalent of 31 teaspoons of sugar.

That is more than five times the maximum of six per day recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Some high street lunch combinations, including 'healthy' soups, salads and sandwiches, can be packed with more sugar than a can of Coke, which contains 35g of sugar

A 'Green goddess juice' at high street food chain Pret a Manger contains 42g of sugar, just more than 10 teaspoons of sugar

And there is an astonishing 25g of sugar – 6.25 teaspoons – in a Wensleydale cheese and carrot chutney sandwich from Marks & Spencer. If it was combined with a super nut, fruit and seed flapjack and a pomegranate and elderflower jelly the sugar total would climb to 18.3 teaspoons.

The figures were collated by researchers from the makingthingseasy.com website, which said workers looking for lunch could find equally tasty low-sugar alternatives from the same outlets.

The website founder, lifestyle and fitness expert Janey Holliday, said action is needed to improve food labels in take-outs, coffee shops and supermarkets to help people better understand how much sugar they are eating.

Currently, many retailers offer the sugar content in terms of grams, however Jamie Oliver and other campaigners believe it would be much more useful to list the figure in terms of teaspoons.

This is one of a series of changes he believes will help consumers, particularly parents, cut down on sugar consumption and so tackle obesity and associated ill-health, including Type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer.

A report found that food at leading chains including Tesco, ASDA and Pret a Manger (pictured, their Christmas lunch sandwich) contained high amounts of sugar

The website that collated the figures said workers looking for lunch could find equally tasty low-sugar alternatives from the same outlets (file photo)

Miss Holliday said: 'Cutting your daily sugar intake by making savvy switches will help reduce sugar cravings as the more sugar you have, the more you want and vice versa.

'Until labels are standardised and nutritional information and ingredients are listed online and on each product, it really is worth having a second glance to see if you can choose something that will enhance your health and save calories too.'

Researchers at the website, which offers online courses in healthy eating, living and wellbeing, found a number of low-sugar options available from the same retailers involved in the survey.

At EAT, for example, a customer could opt for a hot smoked salmon and potato salad, a pack of smoky almonds and corn, and a peppermint tea. The meal would add up to less than one teaspoon versus 31 in the first sugary option.

The British Retail Consortium said retailers have done a lot to reduce the sugar in products and offer alternatives.