REVEALED: The sugar shocks in your food

A SUGAR tax on soft drinks will begin next month – aimed at stemming soaring levels of diabetes and obesity in the UK.

All beverages containing more than five grams of sugar per 100ml will be hit by an an extra 18 pence tax, while those containing eight grams or more by an extra 24p.

The move introduced by Chancellor Philip Hammond should generate around £520million which will be used to fund sport in primary schools.

We all know fizzy drinks are laden with sugar – but many are unaware how much of it lurks in our everyday drinks, foods and snacks.

Did you know the amount in just one Cadbury’s Creme Egg takes up almost your entire recommended daily intake?

The Easter treats contain 26 grams of sugar – the equivalent of six and a half teaspoons. Cutting down on alcohol will help you shed a few pounds, but some drinks are causing you more damage than others.

A Vodka and cranberry might sound like a ‘healthier’ tipple as the white spirit has practically no sugar in it. But the fruit juice contains 30g per serving seven and a half teaspoons. In comparison, a miniature bottle of prosecco – which will fill just over a glass and a half – has 6.5g of sugar, the equivalent

of one and a half teaspoons.

There are over 55 different names under which sugar is disguised, including agave, treacle, blackstrap molasses, molasses, nectar, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, sugar cane juice, brown rice syrup and malt syrup.

From flavoured water with the equivalent of 16 teaspoons or salad dressing with nearly 12 teaspoons, here’s a guide to the main culprits in your weekly supermarket shop... and the shocking reality of what that sugar actually looks like.