Fruit drinks slammed for too much sugar

Fruit drinks for children that are viewed as "healthy" by many people are "unacceptably high" in sugar, new research has found.

Sugars in some fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies exceed a child's entire recommended daily amount, the study found.

The research, published in the journal BMJ Open, found that 42 per cent of products surveyed contained at least 19 grams of sugars - a child's entire maximum recommended daily amount of sugars.

Experts from the University of Liverpool and Queen Mary University of London, examined the sugar content of all fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies that are marketed to children.

After looking at both supermarket own and branded products, they found that 64 per cent contained at least half of a young child's maximum sugar intake for the day.

Children aged four to six are recommended to have a maximum of 19 grams of sugar a day, they said.

The authors of the paper said that drinks with a high sugar content should not count as one the the British government's five servings of fruit or vegetables a day campaign.

"Ideally, fruit should be consumed in its whole form, not as juice," they wrote.

"Parents should dilute fruit juice with water, opt for unsweetened juices and only give them during meals. Portions should be limited to 150 millilitres a day.

"In order to help combat the growing problem of childhood obesity, manufacturers need to stop adding unnecessary sugars and calories to their fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies now; otherwise, it will be essential for the Government to introduce legislation to regulate the free sugars content of these products."

They added: "Current guidelines state a 150 millilitres glass of pure fruit juice at meal times counts as a maximum of one of the '5 a Day'.

"However, Public Health England (PHE) is aiming to refresh the '5 a Day' campaign, including a reconsideration of the advice on fruit juice and smoothies. This appears crucial, based on our findings."