New research shows added sugar labels would prompt teens to dump sugary drinks

New research led by the Health Policy Centre at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) has shown that placing sugar warning labels on sugary drinks would significantly change adolescents’ behaviour - leading many to avoid buying or drinking them altogether.

The study, recently published in the journal BMC Nutrition, found that warning labels on the front of packaging which included the number of teaspoons of added sugar in a drink were particularly likely to lead to changed behaviour. 

Earlier research undertaken by Cancer Council Victoria shows that the majority of Australian adults support this kind of labelling, with 82% of people saying that governments should require sugary drinks to display the number of teaspoons of added sugar they contain.

Lead researcher of the paper and SAHMRI Health Policy Centre Director, Professor Caroline Miller, said that reducing consumption of sugar is essential for improving Australian’s health.

“We know that too much sugar is harmful to health, causing dental decay and increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  Sugary drinks are the biggest source of added sugar in Australian’s diets and teenagers are among the highest consumers of these drinks.”

On average12-17-year-olds consume four and a half teaspoons of sugar from sugary drinks daily, over a third of the World Health Organisation’s daily recommended limit of 12 teaspoons for adults.

Executive Manager of the Food for Health Alliance, and one of the paper’s authors, Jane Martin is urging governments to prioritise action on this issue.

“If governments want to support Australian’s health, tackling excess sugary drink consumption is a clear place to start, yet currently Australia is lagging behind” Ms Martin said.

More than 30 countries have adopted front of pack labels, including warning labels like those highlighted in the new study, but currently Australia is yet to even require added sugar on the existing Nutrition Information Panel (NIP).

Despite significant public support for the policy and after more than a decade of work on added sugar labelling, earlier this year the Food Ministers’ shelved work to mandate added sugar labelling.

The Food for Health Alliance is urging governments to ensure this information can be communicated to people in a way that’s easy to understand, reflecting the recommendation that people avoid added sugar.

“It is disappointing that after 15 years of progress, our national food regulator (FSANZ) has ultimately decided that mandatory added sugar labelling wouldn't benefit consumers,” Ms Martin said.