Camille Moreau / Photo credits: Pixabay
Nearly 80% of processed foods contain added sugar, according to the new report from the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, published this Tuesday, March 19. The health agency reviewed 54,000 products that could be found in supermarkets between 2008 and 2020.
An alarming observation. Of the 54,000 products tested by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, nearly 80% of processed foods contain added sugar. Prepared meals, Bolognese sauce, and even cold meats, sugar and sweeteners are hidden everywhere, despite what you might think. On the labels, they are identifiable under the names “aspartame”, “dextrose”, but the most common is “sucrose” which is also commonly called “table sugar”.
It is present in 58% of processed foods. Even if these figures are less worrying than 10 years ago, manufacturers must continue their efforts to “de-sweeten” their products.
No more than six cubes of sugar per day.
For Julie Gauvreau-Béziat, head of the quality and food observatory at Anses, this is a public health emergency. “There are still 20% of adults who exceed sugar intake recommendations. Up to 75% of children aged 4 to 7 years. It is essential to prevent obesity and diabetes to act on sugar levels. sugar in processed foods, because it is one of the levers for achieving the recommendations”, reports Julie Gauvreau-Béziat at the microphone of Europe 1.
Some manufacturers have already changed their recipes and have significantly reduced the quantity of added sugar. For Anses, there remains room for maneuver to finally meet the health objectives: no more than six cubes of sugar per day.