To reduce the risk of unhealthy weight gain and tooth decay, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10 per cent energy at all stages of life. The term "free sugars" refers to all types of sugar that are added to food and drinks. But also the sugar that occurs naturally in honey, syrup, fruit juice concentrates and fruit juices.

For an average adult (with a calorie intake of 2,000 kcal), 10 energy per cent corresponds to no more than 50 grams of sugar per day (approx. 10 teaspoons or 14 sugar cubes).

For children, the maximum recommended intake of free sugars is lower, depending on age and gender. It can also be higher for adolescents and those involved in sport. For one- to three-year-old children, 10 per cent energy corresponds to approximately 30 grams of sugar per day (approx. 6 teaspoons) (calculated on the basis of the D-A-CH reference values for nutrient intake). For children aged 4 to 6 years, this is approx. 35 grams of free sugar per day and for children aged 7 to 10 years approx. 42 grams of free sugar per day. To illustrate this, a glass of lemonade (250 ml) contains an average of 18 grams of free sugar. Added sugar should be avoided in the first year of life.

The WHO also considers a further reduction in the intake of free sugars to less than 5 per cent energy (i.e. no more than 5 teaspoons of sugar per day for adults) to be a sensible long-term health policy goal.

Sugar is added to many foods in varying amounts, e.g:

With our online tool "Food under the magnifying glass", consumers can easily compare the sugar, salt, fat and energy content of foods. The tool also offers practical tips and information on a balanced diet. Information is currently available on infant and toddler products, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, dairy products, drinking cocoa mixes/drinking chocolate, sausage products, ready meals, spreads, ketchups and other sauces, confectionery and snacks as well as vegan and vegetarian alternative products. You can also find more information in the 2017-2021 Nutrient Monitoring Report.

In almost 60% of foods and drinks marketed in Austria for infants and young children, more than 30% of the calories they contain come from sugar. This is shown by a Europe-wide study by the World Health Organisation, in which around 8,000 products in four cities in the WHO European Region (Budapest, Haifa, Sofia and Vienna) were tested for their sugar content.

In three of the countries analysed (Austria, Bulgaria and Hungary), the total sugar content accounted for more than 30% of the calories in at least half of the products. In 4 out of 10 products, more than 40 % of the calories were attributable to sugar. Only in Israel was the sugar content lower, although here, too, 18 per cent of products had 30 % of their total calories from sugar.

Many foods, such as pureed fruit, vegetable or milk porridges, naturally contain sugar. However, sugar or another sweetening ingredient such as fruit juice concentrate was added to around a third of the products (30%). Drinks such as juices and teas, desserts and pureed fruit porridges were particularly high in sugar.

In Austria, products such as fruit and/or vegetable purees, milk and cereal purees, menus with meat or fish, soups, yoghurts, desserts, biscuits, waffles, juices, teas and other drinks marketed for children aged 0 to 36 months were collected in 22 shops in Vienna (supermarkets, organic markets, drugstores, etc.) between November 2017 and January 2018 and analysed for their sugar content. We also collected data for the "Food under the magnifying glass" project.

Since 2010, the health promotion programme "Richtig essen von Anfang an!" has been evaluating complementary food products available on the Austrian market with regard to their labelling (nutritional values, ingredients, etc.), in particular with regard to their sugar and salt content. Based on the results, "Quality criteria for complementary food starter products" were developed in 2016, which were agreed by the working group "Infants, Breastfeeding and Pregnant Women" (AG KISS) and the National Nutrition Commission. The criteria apply to porridges in jars and cereal porridges for mixing, which are suitable from the beginning of the 5th month and 6th month. They provide guidelines in the areas of "age suitability", "list of ingredients", in particular sugar and sweetening ingredients or ingredients that contribute to the sugar content, and "recommended use".

In order to support parents and close carers in the selection of complementary foods in the first year of life if they do not cook themselves, "Richtig essen von Anfang an!" has produced the folder"Checklist of complementary foods". When introducing complementary foods, it is recommended to avoid products with added sugar and not to sweeten them.

The guideline for the recommended intake of sugar published by the WHO in 2015 is intended to help better control unhealthy weight gain and dental caries and prevent secondary diseases. The guideline is based on an evaluation of various scientific studies on the consumption of sugar by adults and children and the risk of weight gain and the development of tooth decay.

The WHO recommendations focus on the intake of free sugars of all types. This includes dextrose (glucose), fructose, sucrose and maltose, as well as sugars found in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. On the one hand, free sugars are added to foods and drinks by consumers themselves (e.g. sugar in coffee, honey in muesli). On the other hand, free sugars of all sugar types are also found in many processed foods (e.g. ready meals, soft drinks, biscuits) and in catering (e.g. sugar in desserts).

The WHO guideline does not refer to the natural sugars found in fresh fruit or milk, but only to the free sugars of all types of sugar.