Sugar Smart app exposes how much sugar YOUR favourite food contains

How much sugar does YOUR favourite food contain? FEMAIL tests the new app that calculates the number of cubes in everyday items – with very surprising results

• Public Health England’s Sugar Smart app scans barcodes of various foods
• The algorithm reveals how many 4g sugar cubes are in each product
• Children between the ages of four to 10 eat around 22kg of sugar a year

They are the common cupboard staples we consume everyday but more often than not, these foods which we reach out for are often hiding high amounts of sugar.

But a new app is poised to reveal just how much of the sweet stuff we might be inadvertently eating – and could change the way we shop forever.

Public Health England’s Sugar Smart app lets you scan the barcode of different food products so you can see how many 4g cubes of sugar each contains.

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Public Health England’s Sugar Smart app lets you scan the barcode of different food products to reveal how many 4g cubes of sugar each contains

The easy-to-follow instructions of the app make it simple for anyone to use

Supermarkets such as Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons and the Co-operative Food have all signed up alongside manufacturers including Weetabix and Flora.

The app is part of the Change4Life campaign which was launched amid revelations that British children are eating their bodyweight in sugar each year with those aged between four and 10 chomping down on approximately 22kg of sugar annually.

PHE chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone said: ‘Children are having too much sugar – three times the maximum recommended amount.

‘This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children’s well-being as they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem and miss school.’

To find out just how much sugar there is in everyday foods, we scanned a number of our favourite products and were shocked to discover the amount of sweet stuff lurking in them.

A 360g jar or Branston Original Pickle(left) contains 21.6 sugar cubes or 86.4g in total (right)

Cawston Press Incredible Carrot (750ml) has a whopping 12.6g of sugar cubes which amounts to 50.4g of sugar (right)

While we are all aware that ketchup is full of the sweet stuff, condiments such as brown sauce and pickle are also packed with sugar.

We found that a 360g jar or Branston Original Pickle contains 21.6 sugar cubes or 86.4g in total.

And a 425g bottle of HP Sauce has an eye-watering 24.5 sugar cubes per bottle, a total of 98g.

A carton of Cawston Press Incredible Carrot (750ml) has a whopping 12.6g of sugar cubes which amounts to 50.4g of sugar.

Nothing is safe: A 425g bottle of HP Brown Sauce (right) contains a whopping 14.7 cubes

Items marketed at children, like a 350g box of Kellogg’s Cereal with a packaging depicting the two sisters from Frozen contains a whopping 73.6g of sugar, amounting to 18.4 sugar cubes.

We then scanned the code of a one-litre box of Tesco Cranberry juice drink, which the app revealed contained 3.1 sugar cubes per 100ml, a total of 12.4g of sugar (per 100ml).

Next on our list was Oatly Oat Drink which, much to our surprise, has 10 sugar cubes, a total of 40g of sugar per one-litre pack.

And Vita Coco Natural Coconut Water with Peach and Mango also had a high amount of sugar, enough in fact make five cubes.

This one-litre carton of Tesco cranberry juice drink (left) has 3.1sugar cubes per 100ml (right)

A 400 g can of Baxters Vegetarian Mediterranean Tomato Soup (left) has 2.3 cubes of sugar or 9.2g in total (right)

Yoghurt too was a big sugar sinner. The Collective’s Passion Fruit Live Gourmet Yoghurt (500g) has an incredible 22.6 sugar cubes – a mind-boggling 90.4g of sugar.

Items which we assume are healthy, such as a pack of St Karg wholegrain crispbread, still contained a hefty amount of sugar per pack, a total of 6g of sugar.

And don’t be fooled by the ‘no added sugar’ label. A one-litre bottle of Robinson’s Orange No Added Sugar doesn’t mean it is sugar-free; there are still 1.5g cubes in a bottle.

The Collective’s Passion Fruit Live Gourmet Yoghurt (left) has an incredible 22.6 sugar cubes – a mind-boggling 90.4g of sugar (right)

St Karg wholegrain crispbread (left) contains 6g of sugar per pack or 1.5 cubes (right)

Items marketed at children, like a 350g box of Kellogg’s Cereal with a packaging depicting the two sisters from Frozen contains a whopping 73.6g of sugar, amounting to 18.4 sugar cubes.

Continuing on our mission, we then looked at a box of Batchelor’s Chicken and Vegetable Soup with croutons, which had very little sugar; a total of 1.2g per pack.

A one-litre bottle of Robinson’s Orange No Added Sugar (left) still has 1.5 sugar cubes in a bottle (right)

The app shows that a pack of Batchelor’s Cup a Soup (left) has 1.2g total sugar (right)

The same can be said of a 400 g can of Baxters Vegetarian Mediterranean Tomato Soup, which had 2.3 cubes of sugar or 9.2g in total (right)

And love it or hate it, Marmite performed well, too. A 400 squeezy bottle of Marmite had only 0.5 sugar cubes or just 2g in total.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said of store cupboard staple baked beans. A tin of Heinz Beanz has 4.9 sugar cubes, that’s nearly 20g of total sugar.

Marmite Squeezy (left) has only 0.5 sugar cubes or just 2g in total (right)

Vita Coco Natural Coconut Water with Peach and Mango (left) contains enough sugar to make five cubes (right)

But while we were impressed, campaigners have said this is merely a ‘gimmick’ which would do little to curb the very high rates of obesity in children and adults.

Tam Fry, spokesman of the National Obesity Forum, was sceptical and said firms were keen to be seen to be ‘piling in’ on healthy food drives.

He also pointed out that the Government statistics were two months old as they were first published in October.

He added: ‘The app is a cute idea but some somewhat irrelevant.

‘A glance at the ingredients list on any packaging will tell you immediately what the product’s ‘ total sugars ‘ are and the app won’t tell you any more.

This carton of Oatly Oat Drink has 10 sugar cubes, a total of 40g of sugar per one-litre pack

A tin of Heinz Beanz (left) has 4.9 sugar cubes, that’s nearly 20g of total sugar (right)

‘Instead of messing around with gimmicks, Public Health England would be better advised to publish how little sugar should be given to infants and toddlers.’

The survey has only been carried out once so it is not possible to determine if sugar consumption is increasing.

Separate research shows that adults eat around 34g of sugar a day and this has remained broadly stable in recent decades.

To conduct your own sugar research download the free app on iTunes or Google Play.

WHY SUGAR IS BAD FOR YOU AND HOW TO MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR DIET

Too much sugar in your diet makes you irritable, keeps you hungry, and speeds up the ageing process.

Sugar is made up of 50 per cent glucose and 50 per cent fructose but has no nutrient value at all.

You could live quite happily without any added sugar as we get natural sugars from many other foods.

There are many names for sugar – maple syrup, honey, molasses, brown sugar, agave syrups, high fructose corn syrup, barely malt, cane sugar, dextran, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, Ethyl Maltol and lactose. These all affect the body in the same way so don’t be fooled.

Carbohydrates, (think flour, pasta, bread, sugar, vegetables, beans, grains and starchy foods such as potatoes) get converted into glucose, providing us with energy.

Glucose is used to create energy – which is great if you are about to run a marathon – but as our lives our far more sedentary coupled with the high levels of sugar we consume, we fail to ‘burn’ this off.

Glucose is harmful in our blood stream so our pancreas secretes a hormone called Insulin. Insulin transports the glucose to either fat stores or to be used in our muscle just in case we need to ‘run’, but sadly for us, fat stores are the more common destination. The results not only mean a larger waistline, but high levels on insulin production have serious implications for our overall health.

Fructose is now deemed to the most damaging sugar forms. Drink your fruit in fruit juice and a high concentration of fructose floods the liver.

Do the sugar swap: Ten simple ways to cut down on sugar consumption

Original: 200ml glass of orange juice (18.4g sugar, 85 calories)

Swap: Two clementines (10.4g sugar, 50 calories)

Sugar saving: Two teaspoons.

Original: Two 50ml scoops Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough (21g sugar, 230 calories)

Swap:Two 50ml scoops Haagen Daz Vanilla (12.3g sugar, 216 calories).

Sugar saving: 2 teaspoons.

Original: Snickers bar (21.7g sugar, 245 calories)

Swap: Slice of toast spread with a 15g spoon Nutella (9.9g sugar, 174 calories)

Sugar saving: Three teaspoons.

Original: 40g Cheerios (8.3g sugar, 151 calories)

Swap: 40g Shreddies (6g sugar 148 calories) Without milk.

Sugar saving: Half teaspoon (without milk)

Original: Cheddar and pickle sandwich (7.5g sugar, 422 calories)

Swap: Prawn sandwich (2.4g sugar, 392 calories)

Sugar saving: One teaspoon.

Original: 295g serving Campbell’s condensed cream of tomato soup (12.8g sugar, 140 calories)

Swap: 300g New Covent Garden wild mushroom soup (2.7g sugar, 81 calories)

Sugar saving: 1 and a half teaspoons.

Original: 50ml Irish cream (9.8g sugar, 166 calories)

Swap: 250ml can slimline gin and tonic (trace sugar, 94 calories)

Sugar saving: Two and a half teaspoons.

Original: 125g pot of low fat raspberry yogurt (16.5g sugar 126 calories)

Swap: 125g fat free Greek yogurt with 80g raspberries and Stevia sweetener to taste (7.8g sugar 92 calories)

Sugar saving: Two teaspoons.

Original: Slice of jam and buttercream victoria sandwich (17.8g sugar, 216 calories)

Swap: Cream horn (8.7g sugar, 197 calories)

Sugar saving: Two teaspoons.

Original: Mcvities milk chocolate digestive (4.9g sugar, 83 calories)

Swap: Kallo Organic dark chocolate rice cake thin (2.6g sugar, 55 calories)

Sugar saving: Half a teaspoon.

CUBE BY CUBE: HOW STEALTH SUGAR IS SNEAKING INTO YOUR DIET

Jordans Frusli Bar, Bluberry – Two cubes

Along with the undisputed benefits of wholegrains, you get 2tsp of sugar. Some comes from the fruits and some is added to boost taste.

Volvic touch of fruit lemon and lime (1.5l) – 16.5 cubes

This flavoured water may look healthy, but the high sugar content makes it equivalent to sugary pop.

Tesco Chicken korma and pilau rice (550g) – Three cubes

Sweeter, creamier sauces contain added sugar, and often in quite high quantities.

Naked Juices Green Machine (150ml) – Half a cube

While the sugars in this green juice from fruits, one cube of sugar (53g) is a 150ml bottle is still a lot of is still a lot to consume. There’s more sugar here than there is in a regular bag of Skittles (46g)

Innocent Mangoes and Passion Fruits smoothie – Six cubes

Some of the fruit in smoothies is whole fruit that’s crushed, and so it still contains fibre. This isn’t as bad for you as pure juice, which counts as added sugar.

One tablespoon ketchup – One cube

Sugar is added to ketchup to achieve that characteristic taste, though some comes from the tomatoes.

BBQ Pringles (190g) – One and a half cubes

The sugar turns up in the BBQ ‘ flavour’, which is largely sugar.

Apple – Two and a half cubes

Though apples contain a surprisingly high amount of sugar, it’s ‘good’ sugar, encased in fibre.

Muller Light Strawberry – Two and a half cubes

Many low-fat foods contain high amounts of sugar to compensate for the lack of taste and texture.

New Covent Garden Plum Tomato and Mascarpone Soup (600g) – Six cubes

Sugar is added to this soup, but much of it comes from the high concentration of tomatoes, which means it is classed as ‘good’ naturally occurring sugar.

Waitrose Love Life Crayfish & Mango Salad – Two cubes

A reminder to watch out for sugar in salads — this one has a Thai dressing packed with sugar, plus some less damaging sugar in the mango.

Sun-Maid Raisins – Two cubes

Not the unhealthier ‘bad’ sugar found in sweets, but it can quickly add up if you have anything more than the smallest serving.

Dolmio Bolognese Original Sauce (500g jar) Six and a half cubes

Most tomato pasta sauces contain added sugars to boost the taste, though some will also occur naturally in the tomatoes.

Tropicana Smooth Orange Juice (200ml) – Three and a half cubes

Though sugar in the whole fruit counts as ‘good’ sugar, juicing removes the fibre, so it is classified as the more harmful ‘added sugar’.

Semi skimmed milk (200ml) – Two cubes

Milk sugar doesn’t count as the harmful added kind because it is released slowly in the body.

Bran Flakes (30g with milk, 125ml) – Two and a half cubes

Bran Flakes are 22 per cent sugar, but here milk adds half a cube.

One sugar cube equals one teaspoon of sugar.

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