Sugar risk warning over pre-mixed cocktails

OBESITY campaigners have warned that pre-mixed alcoholic drinks can contain more sugar than fizzy drinks but that labelling loopholes mean they are not required to carry nutrition details on the packaging.

An analysis of “ready to drink” pre-mixed spirits and cocktails sold in major supermarkets carried out by campaign group Action on Sugar found less than half (41 per cent) had any form of nutrition labelling.

Alcoholic beverages over 1.2 per cent strength are not required to carry details such as calories content and they have not been subject to a sugar tax, which has encouraged some manufacturers of soft drinks to re-formulate to cut sugar.

Of the 154 products, only 14 products had any sugar information on-pack.

Drinks with the highest sugar content included a 700ml WKD Blue, containing 59g or 15 teaspoons of sugar per pack, and a 500ml TGI Fridays Passion Fruit Martini, containing 49g or 12 teaspoons of sugar per pack.

Campaigners said this meant consumers are unable to make an informed choice about their sugar intake.

Lorraine Tulloch, programme lead at Obesity Action Scotland, said: “Ready to drink alcoholic beverages may be convenient but this study shows the alarming amount of sugar the industry is adding to these products.”

“These products aren’t currently required to have a nutrition label on them and we can see very few companies have chosen to provide this information.”