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Doctors and academics say levels must be reduced by up to 30 per cent They found that even zero-fat yoghurts can contain five teaspoons of sugar Heinz tomato soup has four while a Mars bar has eight teaspoons of sugar Obesity and diabetes already cost the UK over £5billion a year

Food giants are being told to cut the amount of sugar they use because it has become the ‘new tobacco’. Doctors and academics say levels must be reduced by up to 30 per cent to halt a wave of disease and death. They found that even zero-fat yoghurts can contain five teaspoons of sugar, while a can of Heinz tomato soup has four. The equivalent of 11 teaspoons are found in a small Starbucks caramel Frappuccino with whipped cream. A Mars bar has eight. ‘Sugar is the new tobacco,’ said Simon Capewell, professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Liverpool. Everywhere, sugary drinks and junk foods are now pressed on unsuspecting parents and children by a cynical industry focused on profit not health. The obesity epidemic is generating a huge burden of disease and death. Obesity and diabetes already cost the UK over £5billion a year. Without regulation, these costs will exceed £50billion by 2050.’ Professor Capewell is part of a new US-UK campaign group – Action on Sugar – that says asking firms to make voluntary changes has failed. The typical Briton consumes 12 teaspoons of sugar a day and some adults consume as many as 46. The maximum intake recommended by the World Health Organisation is ten, although this guideline is l ikely to be halved. The UN agency says there is ‘overwhelming evidence coming out about sugar-sweetened beverages and other sugar consumption’ being linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A study by Action on Sugar found surprisingly high levels of sugar in many foods, including savoury products and healthy options. NEXT

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