UN recommendations to curb sugar intake may face an uphill battle for acceptance as humans are ingrained with a yearning for sweetness, experts say.
Sugar is laden with energy, which we are genetically geared to want, a craving the food industry has cultivated to keep consumers coming back for more, they point out.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated its advice that added sugar should comprise less than 10 per cent of daily calorie intake, but said consumers should ideally strive for half that amount.
Experts question the attainability of these goals given that sugar is added to everything from tomato-based sauces and bread to charcuterie.
"There is a collusion between manufacturers and consumers," said Jean-Michel Lecerf, head of nutrition at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, northern France - pointing to a "shared responsibility" for the sharp rise in added sugar in food.
"Manufacturers like to sell their products and consumers like the taste of sugar."
The UN guidelines apply to so-called "free sugars" added to food and drink by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
These are said to have contributed to a global rise in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
Food manufacturers will be hard-pressed to find a cheaper, easier and more popular flavour-booster, say the experts. Not only does sugar provide a quick energy boost, it is also a natural mood-lifter.
"We want it because we get pleasure from it," said Lecerf.
"It has a psychotropic effect when you have the blues."
Michael Moss, awarded a Pulitzer prize for his book: "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us", calls sugar the "miracle ingredient for the food companies".
"They use it to save money. When you're making a tomato sauce, instead of using naturally red, sweet tomatoes, you can buy cheap, green tomatoes and add sugar to make up for the natural flavour," he said.
The food industry has developed a "bliss point" measure for the ideal sugar content - not too little and not too much, said Moss, to make sure consumers are always left wanting more.
One of the biggest problems for consumers, he added, was the hidden sugar in savoury products like bread and processed meat.
"What it does is create the expected wish that everything you eat is sweet."
The UN advice does not cover sugar in fresh fruit or vegetables.
According to Nita Forouhi, a nutritional epidemiology researcher at the University of Cambridge, sugar-sweetened beverages may be key for achieving the UN's objective.
The 10 per cent goal amounts to about 50 grams or 12 teaspoons of sugar for an adult consuming 2,000 calories per day.
The average can of soft drink packs up to 10 teaspoons, so switching to water or a non-sweetened beverage will swiftly cut sugar intake.
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