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 A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,883 adults living in the United States,
conducted Jan. 15-21, finds that 58 percent say they tried to limit
sugar in their diets in the previous 30 days. That is higher than
the percentage of those who were targeting reductions in their
intake of calories, sodium, fats, cholesterol or carbohydrates. Only
39 percent said they had not tried to cut sugar intake.
Last month, the U.S. government said that Americans should seek to
keep their intake of added sugars, which is sugar added during
processing or preparation of foods, to less than 10 percent of daily
calories, the first time it had recommended a specific limit.
That would translate to a cut of about one-third for the average
American, but a significantly higher reduction for teenagers, who
eat about 17 percent of their calories in added sugars.
Of the people surveyed, 50 percent said they have tried to cut down
on calories, 48 percent sodium, 46 percent for both saturated fats
and trans fat/trans fatty acid, 43 percent cholesterol and 40
percent carbohydrates.
For the full poll results, see http://tmsnrt.rs/1P10hMr
And while the number of people who weren't planning cuts in
calories, sodium and fats roughly matched those hoping to reduce
intake, just 39 percent of respondents said they had no intention of
cutting down on sugar.
To be sure, the survey asked people about their attempts to limit
sugar, not about their success rate in doing so, and notoriously
short-lived New Year's resolutions may account for some of the
responses. There is also no directly comparable poll for previous
years.
But the poll results may reflect the impact of the increasing
concerns expressed by health advocates about links between
high-sugar diets and levels of obesity. This "war on sugar" has
grown in scope over the last few years beyond just sodas and candy
to packaged foods like cereal and pasta sauce.
Google Trends data show that online search interest in the term
"added sugar" is on the rise. It reached the height of its
popularity in the United States last month, data going back to 2004
show. Searches for cholesterol, sodium or saturated fat exceeded
those for sugar, but their popularity was trending lower or stable.
Searches for "is sugar bad" were significantly more popular than the
same searches for cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat.
A spokeswoman for the Sugar Association, which represents U.S. sugar
companies and grower-cooperatives, said that limits on sugar are
"the low hanging fruit in the fight against obesity," adding that
the real culprit behind obesity has been a rise in calories from
things other than sugar since 1970.
SURPRISED BY SUGAR
Austin Dennis, a student from Chilton County, Alabama, who
responded to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, turned to the Internet for
answers to his struggle with weight about a year ago.
"One day, I put on my pants, the button broke, and I thought, 'OK,
it's time to do something different,'" he said.
The 20-year old watched a YouTube video about eating healthily and
bought "Fat Chance," a book by anti-sugar advocate Robert Lustig. He
gave up sweet tea and stopped eating Kellogg Co's <K.N> Froot Loops
and the other sugary cereals.
"I didn't realize how much sugar was in stuff, that really surprised
me," Dennis said.
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Companies have started to offer more low-sugar products to customers
with Kellogg promising to cut sugar to 10 grams or less for every
30-gram serving in 90 percent of its cereals by 2020. The Grocery
Manufacturers Association (GMA) says companies have cut sugar and
carbohydrates in more than 5,500 products between 2002 and 2013.
"We're committed to giving consumers more of what they want and
need, and less of what they are trying to reduce," Kris Charles, a
Kellogg spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. Unit sales of
sugar in stores fell nearly 4 percent last year from 2014, the
oldest data provided to the press by Nielsen show, continuing a
downward trend since 2011. Dollar sales declined 17 percent in value
between 2011-2014, though in 2015 they recovered by 2 percent due to
price rises. Major U.S. sugar company ASR Group - the maker of
Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar -- declined to comment. Louis Dreyfus
Commodities [AKIRAU.UL], the global commodities trader that owns
cane refiner Imperial Sugar Co [LOUDRI.UL], did not respond to
requests for comment.
READ THE LABEL
Food companies would be required to include the amount of added
sugar as a percentage of recommended daily calorie intake on their
"Nutrition Facts" labels, according to a proposal from the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration.
While candy maker Mars has said it supports the new dietary
guidelines and the move to include "added sugars" on the labels, the
GMA has questioned the scientific review behind the FDA's proposed
labeling changes.
Nearly two-thirds of poll respondents said they use those labels at
least sometimes when deciding to buy a product.
Myriah Velazco, 39, who builds websites in Raleigh, North Carolina
said she started to think about cutting sugar after a summer visit
to the dentist turned up eight cavities. She set out to seriously
slash her intake on Jan. 1
"I started looking and realizing I had been totally fooled," she
said.
"It's not always the stuff you'd think. Some of the all-natural
granola bars have more sugar than just eating a Pop-Tart. You have
to read every single label."
(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Martin Howell)
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