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Cutting out the sugar: innovations and actions for healthier diets in Europe

Excessive sugar consumption increases the risk of multiple diseases. Learn about the key issues and the solutions for enabling healthier lives through food

29 Oct 2024
7 min reading time

What are the health risks of excess sugar?

Sugar is ubiquitous and it is not always clear how much a food product contains. Today, sugar is loaded into everything from cereals and beverages to yoghurts and ultra-processed snacks, under guises like fructose, dextrose and maltose. But while added sugar is a staple in many Western diets, the health risks associated with excessive consumption are grave and far-reaching.

Excess sugar intake is linked to a range of chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, overweight and obesity, which all bring an increased risk of stroke and heart attack (1). This is because excess sugar can raise blood pressure and contribute to inflammation throughout the body. Sugar’s links with type 2 diabetes – causing the inability to use insulin effectively – is particularly concerning with cases rising globally, placing a strain on healthcare systems (2).

The issue is also about what we are not eating. Globally, the intake of fibre-rich foods such as wholegrains, pulses and roots has been declining in the past decades, whereas consumption of sugar, meat, oils and fats has been increasing (3). World sugar consumption was around 177 million metric tons in 2023/24 and is projected to rise (4). With sugar so prevalent in food products, these health issues are likely to grow.

How does sugar affect the body?

The sugars to be wary of are ‘free sugars’ added to food and drinks or found naturally in items such as fruit juice and syrups. Easy to consume quickly, these sugars rapidly absorb into the bloodstream, causing spikes in blood sugar levels.

But aren’t sugars also found naturally in foods such as fruit, vegetables and milk? Yes, but health authorities advise we do not need to cut down on these (5). Choosing a banana over a sugary juice or adding berries to your yoghurt are healthier choices that provide dietary fibre and nutrients, avoid the sugar spikes, and leave you feeling fuller. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners can be useful for people looking to reduce sugar intake but the health implications are mixed and they offer no intrinsic health benefits (6).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults and children limit their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake. A further reduction to below 5% or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day provides additional health benefits (7).

Sugar and addiction

While some scientists argue that sugar doesn't meet the strict criteria for addiction, we do know that it activates the brain’s reward system – especially when blended with salts and fats in ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Tim Spector, British medical doctor and epidemiologist, has warned about the hyperpalatable nature of UPFs, with many containing ‘false health halos’ such as vitamin fortification. Speaking at Next Bite 2024, EIT Food’s flagship event, Spector says there is evidence that some people display dependencies around sugary UPFs.

Indeed, a group of psychologists led by the University of Michigan’s Ashley Gearhardt argues that our understanding of addiction is evolving. They say that classifying UPFs as addictive – despite the uncertainty – could stimulate important research and shift attitudes to regulation (8). A growing field of research is also exploring the links between consumption of UPFs and mental health (9).

Public awareness and choice

Fortunately, public awareness of sugar's dangers has been increasing in recent years, particularly with the rise of media coverage around junk food and UPFs. Documentaries like That Sugar Film have helped inform the public on how hidden sugars in our diet contribute to health problems – from severe dental issues to the non-communicable diseases described in this article. Ultimately, reducing sugar intake comes down to making informed choices and opting for healthier options whenever possible.

Demand for healthier alternatives to sugar-packed products is growing. A significant portion of consumers, particularly those aged 18 to 34, are influenced by health claims when purchasing food and beverage products (10). The most sought-after claims include "low-sugar" and "sugar-free". The beverage sector is a particular growth area, with low-calorie soft drinks accounting for 14.4% of total global soft drink volume sales in 2023, with this figure predicted to accelerate (11).

Innovations to reduce sugar in diets

To meet consumer desires requires innovation, and Europe is at the forefront of developing solutions. One example is Spain-based LĀKŌ Foods, which has developed a date-based sweetener that offers a natural way to sweeten food without relying on refined sugars. The company’s founder and CEO is Sara Urrejola was part of EIT Food’s 2023 Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) programme, which provided mentoring and access to the European startup community.

Established multinational companies are also innovating in this space. From a commercial point of view, the challenge is replicating the taste, textures and mouthfeel of sugary products that have become so popular over decades. Cargill, for instance, is working on sweeteners, bulking agents and texturisers to help brands reformulate their sweet products.

Tricking the mind and personalising solutions

Food science also has a psychological side. Looking ahead, we will no doubt see creative innovations like 3D-printed foods built in layered structures that contain progressively less sugar, while maintaining the same sensory experience. Ed Bergen, a senior analyst at Future Bridge, spoke about this 'brain-tricking’ technology on the Food Fight podcast (12).

Another growing trend is personalised nutrition, which can enable people to make more informed decisions about their diets, offering a new way to manage sugar intake. At the cutting edge, wearable technology like continuous glucose monitors can enable individuals to monitor their blood sugar levels in real-time. Artificial intelligence is likely to transform personalised nutrition in the coming years and help companies formulate new products targeted at specific dietary needs.

Industry strategies to reduce sugar consumption for better health

Collectively, the food industry is stepping up to the challenge, with companies pledging to reformulate their products. Speaking at the EIT Food VI Innovation Forum in Bilbao, Rubén Moreno Pardo, Secretary General of PRODULCE, highlighted the commitment of the Spanish confectionery industry to reduce sugar content, increase fibre, and introduce smaller portion sizes in an effort to tackle childhood obesity.

Partnerships within the food industry can accelerate innovation. One such collaboration is the Start-Up Innovation Challenge, launched by General Mills (the company that owns Häagen-Dazs) in partnership with EIT Food, which sought to formulate new ice-cream recipes lower in sugar and environmental impact.

EIT Food also supports innovation through projects like ‘Sustained Energy Release Starchy Food Products’, which could help with diabetes management, weight control and physical performance. More broadly, anyone interested in developing healthy food alternatives can engage with EIT Food’s Intellectual Property (IP) Garden, which connects innovators with a diversity of close-to-market technologies.

Rubén Moreno Pardo, Secretary General of PRODULCE, discusses the drive to reformulate healthier confectionery

How to read nutrition labels for sugar content: decoding the information

One big barrier that consumers face is confusion around nutrition labels. To help people make healthier choices, it’s important that added sugars are easily identifiable on food labels. Ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or dextrose often signal high sugar content. Consumers should also look for terms like "no added sugars", which can be misleading, as the product may still contain large quantities of natural free sugars.

EIT Food’s consumer-focused platform FoodUnfolded has reported extensively on the issues of sugar awareness, and the problems with publicised scientific research funded by the sugar industry (13). Issues of scientific credibility are explored in more detail in the EIT Food online course ‘Food and Nutrition: The Truth Behind the Headlines’.

Who regulates sugar in our food?

In Europe, the regulation of sugar in food is primarily driven by governmental efforts. The UK has introduced measures against products high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), such as restrictions on the promotions and placement in retail stores (14). Various countries in Europe are adopting front-of-pack labelling to warn consumers about high levels of HFSS.

As part of the 'breakfast directives', the European Council has introduced rules around how companies describe the sugar in fruit juices to reduce confusion around ‘natural’ and ‘added’ sugars (15). A bigger impact, however, could stem from harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling, one of the stated aims of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy (16).

Are sugar taxes the answer?

A more controversial measure is sugar taxes. Several European nations – including Portugal, France and Finland – already have forms of taxation linked with sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), mostly levied at the point of manufacture (17). The EU’s most populous nation, Germany, currently has no SSB tax but a recent study found it could save the country €16 billion in healthcare costs over 20 years (18).

But critics argue that sugar taxes alone are not a silver bullet. Taxes on sugary products may disproportionately affect low-income consumers, who spend a larger portion of their income on food. Citizens participating in a 2023 UK study emphasised the need for measures to mitigate this impact, such as subsidies for healthy foods (19).

What is clear is that enabling healthier diets in Europe requires collaboration across the food system. This means working across the industry, authorities, and consumers to create meaningful change. Joined up food system action is the key to sweet success.

References

  1. American Stroke Association: Let’s Talk About Stroke
  2. International Diabetes Federation: Facts & figures
  3. EIT Food: Healthier Lives Through Food insight report
  4. Statista Global sugar consumption 2010/2011 to 2024/2025
  5. NHS: Sugar: the facts
  6. NHS: The truth about sweeteners
  7. WHO: Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
  8. BMJ: ‘Social, clinical, and policy implications of ultra-processed food addiction’. BMJ 2023;383:e075354
  9. Nutrients ‘Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies’. doi: 10.3390/nu14132568
  10. Nutrition Insight ‘Health claims on food and drinks important to younger consumers, Prinova finds
  11. Global Data: The Sugar Challenge Report 2024: The evolution and future outlook of calorie and sugar reduction in soft drinks
  12. EIT Food: Food Fight podcast ‘What’s on the menu? Food Trends for 2023’
  13. FoodUnfolded: Is Sugar The New Tobacco?
  14. UK Gov: Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price: implementation guidance
  15. EC: Council adopts revised 'breakfast directives' to strengthen marketing standards and improve consumer information
  16. EC: Farm to Fork Strategy
  17. The World Bank: Global SSB Tax Database
  18. PLOS Medicine: Projected health and economic impacts of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation in Germany: A cross-validation modelling study. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004311
  19. FFCC: So, what do we really want from food?


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