‘Scandalous’ sugar portions in 1 in 3 high street coffee shops – from Starbucks to Costa we reveal the biggest offenders

Research shows that ONE in three drinks available from coffee shops to take away contains more sugar than an adult should consume in a whole day.

According to Action on Sugar, a third of coffees, frappuccinos and sweets sold in shops such as Starbucks and Costa exceed the 30g limit.

One of Coffee Republic’s milkshakes and cakes had a whopping 157g of “free sugars”—five times the recommended amount.

The campaign group said hundreds of products sold in nine leading stores are not labelled as “high” in sugar, despite falling within that threshold.

Professor Graham MacGregor, of Action on Sugar, said: “It is scandalous that companies can get away with providing so little nutritional information.

“What is even more outrageous is that the government has not taken decisive action to encourage people to reduce their sugar intake.”

The NHS advises Britons not to eat or drink more than 90g of sugar a day, including 30g of “free sugars” – added sugars found in drinks, biscuits, chocolates and other foods.

Eating too much sugar can augment your risk of diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart disease.

Action on Sugar research looked at products available in nine high street cafes to see how much sugar they contained and whether they provided nutritional information.

While some companies are required to display calorie information at the point of sale, they are not required to disclose the sugar content of their products.

The report found that 782 sugary food and drink products in stores were “insufficiently labelled”.

Zoe Davies, of Action on Sugar, said: “It’s amazing how uncomplicated it is to unknowingly consume 39 teaspoons of sugar and over 1,300 calories just by buying a drink and a cake.

“Furthermore, it is unacceptable that consumers often have no idea that a product contains sugar content because no information is provided at the point of sale.

“That’s why it’s so essential to have clearer labels so people know exactly what they’re buying.”

A Starbucks spokesperson said: “We are committed to helping customers make informed, better choices that work for them.

“Since 2012, we have been working on reducing the sugar content in our product range, which resulted in the development of sugar-free syrups.

“We have improved our recipes to reduce the sugar content in our drinks, for example by reducing sugar by 34 percent in our Frappuccino coffee-based syrup and by 14 percent in our baked goods since 2018.

“We provide nutritional information online and on our menu boards, and we offer customers a range of personalisation options so they can enjoy a drink that suits them.”