Quiz answers

Question 1

Q. If a food says it has 'no added sugar', it means:

• Answer: Who knows?
• Why? Until recently there was a clear definition of 'no added sugar' in the Food Standards Code, but in the new version of the Code it's been removed. Now we have to rely on the Fair Trading Act, which says manufacturers aren't allowed to mislead consumers. Most manufacturers are probably still following the old definition, which is "no sugar or sugary ingredients were added in making it", but it may be a case of 'buyer beware'. Hopefully new guidelines for manufacturers that are currently under discussion will clarify the situation.

Question 2

Q. There are more kilojoules in sugar than in other nutrients like fat or alcohol.

• Answer: False
• Why? Alcohol (29 kJ) and fat (37 kJ) have more kilojoules per gram than sugar, which is a carbohydrate and has 17 kJ per gram.

Question 3

Q. How many teaspoons of sugar are in a can of soft drink?

• Answer: 10
• Why? A can of COKE has around 40 grams of sugar - ten 4 g teaspoons.

Question 4

Q. Refined sugars are worse for you than sugars like raw sugar or honey?

• Answer: False
• Why? Sugar is sugar is sugar. Don't assume that because something sounds 'natural' it's better for you. All types of sugar have the same amount of kilojoules (although honey's about 20% water, so gram for gram it has fewer kilojoules). But none of these sweeteners is a significant source of minerals or vitamins.

Question 5

Q. Tinned peaches in syrup have more sugar than tinned peaches in juice.

• Answer: True
• Why? Peaches in juice have about 8% sugar compared to 12% for the peaches in syrup. That's a saving of about one teaspoon of sugar in a half-cup serve.

Question 6

Q. Most of the kilojoules in beer come from sugar.

• Answer: False
• Why? Most of the kilojoules in beer come from the alcohol. There's very little sugar in it - generally about 0.1%.

Question 7

Q. A serve of 'light' pie with 'light' ice cream must have less sugar than regular.

• Answer: False
• Why? If you check a 'light' product's label the fine print should tell you what the product is light in - it doesn't have to be light in everything. Light ice cream and desserts may be light in fat and kilojoules, but not necessarily light in sugar.

Question 8

Q. Which of these drinks has the highest percentage of sugar?

• Answer: Soft drink, though energy drink is close behind.
• Why? On average soft drinks are about 12% sugar, an average energy drink is around 11%, flavoured milk about 9% and a sports drink about 6%. However, when you take into account the size of the bottle or can the picture changes - energy drinks generally come in a small 250 or 300 mL can (about 7 teaspoons of sugar), while a larger 375 mL can of average soft drink gives you about 11 teaspoons, and a 300 mL carton of flavoured milk 6.5. Sports drinks only seem to come in a large 600 mL bottle, so if you drink the lot, that smaller percentage translates into a heftier 9 teaspoons of sugar. Only the milk really pulls its nutritional weight - it also delivers vitamins and minerals, most importantly calcium.

Question 9

Q. Strawberry 100% fruit spread has a lot less sugar than strawberry jam.

• Answer: Sometimes.
• Why? Some 100% fruit spreads have a lot less total sugar than the same brand of jam (almost half); some have similar levels. The sucrose that would have been used in the jam has been replaced by fruit sugars (fructose) in varying degrees. It pays to check the labels before you buy.

Question 10

Q. Kids' breakfast cereals average over two teaspoons of sugar per serve.

• Answer: True.
• Why? When we last looked at cereals we found more than half the cereals aimed at kids were at least one third sugar. That's two and a half teaspoons in a 30g serve. Some had a lot more. Kids' cereals do offer the benefits of added vitamins and minerals, but the majority are so processed they're fibre-flimsy - many have less than one gram of fibre per serve. Kids don't need as much fibre as adults, but adding a teaspoon of sugar to a less processed cereal like Weet-bix or porridge is a better option.