More than half of Dutch consumers underes­ti­mate sugar intake

People in the Netherlands consume more added sugars each day than they think. That is according to research conducted by PanelWizard on behalf of the Diabetes Fund. The findings show that many consumers struggle to accurately estimate the amount of added sugars in products. As a result, the demand for better insight remains high.

Actual intake is higher

More than half of Dutch consumers believe they consume no more than six sugar cubes’ worth of added sugars per day. In reality, the average intake is twelve sugar cubes per day. That amounts to 86 sugar cubes per week, or approximately 18 kilograms per year.

More than half of the Dutch population underestimates their sugar intake by at least 42 sugar cubes per week. Women underestimate their daily sugar intake more often than men. Among people aged 60 and older, 63.5% believe they consume six sugar cubes or less per day.

According to dietitian Neeke Smit, that is not surprising. “Sugar has been added to many products, often in greater amounts than we think. Even savoury products you would not expect, such as pesto, sliced chicken breast, hummus or sauces, contain added sugar. As a result, you can easily consume a lot of added sugars without realising it.”

Demand for greater insight

Eight out of ten Dutch consumers want more insight into the amount of added sugars in products. In addition, nearly three-quarters find it difficult to assess whether a product contains a high or low amount of added sugars. Smit points out that sugar appears on labels under many different names. “I understand why sugar is difficult to recognise, because it has more than 50 different aliases.”

Nearly three-quarters of Dutch consumers want to reduce their sugar consumption. In addition, almost nine out of ten believe they consume more sugar than they are aware of. To raise awareness, the Diabetes Fonds is organising the National Sugar Challenge from 8 to 14 June. During this initiative, participants eat and drink without added sugars for one week.

Diabetesfonds.nl