Tea-based beverages have become popular in recent years and stores selling such kind of beverages have been thriving. In collaboration with the Centre for Food Safety, the Consumer Council has conducted a test and review on more than 100 models of tea-based beverages to find out their sugar contents, and energy levels for some of these models. Of the 78 models of original flavour, the sugar content per cup of 5 models was found to exceed the recommended upper limit of the daily free sugar intake by the World Health Organization (WHO) with 1 exceeding the limit by 40%. The pearls in the Pearl Tapioca Milk Tea have a sugar content of up to 11g per portion and by consuming 1 portion of pearls has reached more than 20% of the recommended limit of daily free sugars intake. In terms of energy, if calculated on the basis of 3 meals, the model with the highest energy level reached 600kcal per cup, would take up 90% of the energy intake of an adult per meal.
Covered in the test were 8 types of non-prepackaged tea comprising 127 models of which 78 were original flavours (prepared according to the original recipes of the stores), 39 were no-sugar-added versions (prepared without sweeteners/sugar at the request of customers) while 10 were no added sugar Pearl Tapioca Milk Tea models for testing pearls. In addition, the information on nutrition labels of 3 prepackaged tea types comprising 11 models were also reviewed.
Sugar content varied up to 7 times
The test found wide disparity in the sugar content among the 78 non-prepackaged original-flavour models, ranging from 1.4g/100g to 11g/100g, showing a difference of almost 7 times. Passion Fruit Black Tea was top on the list with average sugar content of 7.1g/100g, while (cheese) Milk Foam Green Tea was the lowest, on average of 3.5g/100g.
WHO strongly recommends that the daily free sugars intake of an adult who consumes 2,000kcal a day should be less than 50g of free sugars to reduce the risk of overweight and obesity as well as chronic diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. It also suggests that the daily free sugar intake be further cut down to less than 25g to reduce the chance of tooth decay.
The test found that the sugar content in 5 of the 78 original-flavour models reached 50g or more (per cup, assuming all sugar content in models are free sugars). In other words, drinking the whole cup exceeds the daily maximum limit of free sugars intake. The model with the highest sugar content per cup in the test was a Matcha Latte (72g) of which a cup contained sugar content equivalent to the intake of 14 sugar cubes (each cube about 5g of sugar), followed by 4 other models, namely Passion Fruit Black Tea (55g), Mango Green Tea (51g), Honey Green Tea (51g) and Jasmine Green Tea (50g). 48 other models contained sugar content of 25g or more (below 50g sugar), that means drinking 1 cup already reached or exceeded half the daily intake limit of free sugars, of which 9 were Passion Fruit Black Tea and except 1 of them with sugar content exceeded the 50g upper limit in free sugars, the rest 8 models contained sugar content of 25g or above.
11 models considered “high in sugar content” beverages
According to the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations, drinks with not more than 5g and 0.5g per 100g/ml can be regarded as “low sugar” and “no sugar” respectively, and the Nutritional Guidelines on Snacks for Students issued by the Department of Health defined drinks with more than 7.5g/100ml of sugar as “high in sugar content” beverages. The test found 10 original-flavour models to be “high in sugar content” beverages with sugar content between 7.6/100g and 11g/100g while 34 models were of the “low sugar” category.
That notwithstanding, consumers should take note of the portion size of the beverage even if the drink is of a “low sugar” model as their total sugar content may well turn out to be higher than those not classified as “low sugar” of a smaller portion. Of the 78 original-flavour models, the smallest portion 350g is half the size of the largest portion 700g. Taking the 2 honey green tea as examples, 1 “low sugar” model of 600g contained 4.8g/100g of sugar (that is 29g per cup) while the other model of 410g contained 5.5g/100g (that is 22g per cup). Therefore, drinking a cup of the “low sugar” model with larger portion would mean a higher sugar intake than drinking a cup “non-low sugar” model with smaller portion.
Some consumers may order no-sugar-added or non-sweetened beverages in the hope that it will cut down on their sugar intake. However, the test finding showed that the so-called no-sugar-added drinks might not necessarily have less sugar. As these tea-based beverages were prepared manually, the amount of added sugar might not be identical for each cup. The test reflected the unsatisfactory quality control in the industry and shops are urged to maintain consistent beverage quality.
In general, “no-sugar-added” models were found to contain less sugar than the original-flavour models. In particular, Jasmine Green Tea had on average 99% less sugar content per 100g. However, for beverages containing concentrated fruit juice, honey or fruit juice syrup, such as passion fruit black tea and honey green tea, the reduction in sugar content would be much limited as the essential ingredients already contain sugar, so even if consumers request for no-sugar-added, only sugar used for adjusting the sweetness or the amount of essential ingredients could be reduced. For example, the sugar content per 100g of Passion Fruit Black Tea could on average be reduced by 17%, the sugar content per cup still reached 60% of the daily intake limit of free sugars.
Not to neglect the sugar content in pearls
The pearls in Pearl Tapioca Milk Tea are also the main source of sugar and energy. In the test on the pearls extracted from 10 no-sugar-added models, the pearls in the models were found to contain sugar varying from 1.1g to 11g per cup, showing a variation of 9 times. The model with the highest sugar content was found to contain sugar at a level equivalent to 22% of the daily intake limit of free sugars, showing that there is room for improvement in the ingredients procurement and preparation process of the industry. The energy level of the pearl ingredients in these beverages should not be overlooked. The test found the average energy level of a whole cup of original-flavour Pearl Tapioca Milk Tea could reach 400kcal, of which over 40% of energy (170kcal) came from the pearls. Therefore, Pearl Tapioca Milk Tea lovers should take note of the amount of pearl ingredient to avoid excessive intake of sugar and energy.
Among the 8 tea types, Pearl Tapioca Milk Tea on average had the highest energy level with 78kcal/100g, followed by Taro Milk Tea with 74kcal, (Cheese) Milk Foam Green Tea with 57kcal, and Matcha Latte with 56kcal. The energy level per cup of the 78 original-flavour models ranged from the lowest 87kcal to the highest 600kcal. Top on the list insofar as energy level was concerned was 1 Taro Milk Tea that took up 30% of the daily energy intake of 2,000kcal. If calculated on the basis of 3 meals a day, drinking a whole cup of this model would take up 90% of the required energy intake from one meal.
In addition, a review on the nutrition labels of 3 tea types comprising 11 models of prepackaged tea beverages showed that Matcha Latte had on average the highest sugar content and energy level per 100g. 1 of these models contained up to 10.3g of sugar per 100g of the model and drinking 1 pack would have taken more than 40% of the daily intake limit of free sugars; its energy level was 101kcal/100g, making it the highest in sugar and calories content of all models.
Jasmine Green Tea was found to have both the lowest sugar and energy levels with 3 regarded as “no sugar” beverages. The findings indicated that sugar content and energy level can vary widely among drinks of the same type; so consumers purchasing prepackaged beverages should read the nutrition labels carefully and pay attention to the serving size.
Advice to consumers:
- Choose beverages with less sugar content, choose “no-sugar-added” or “less sugar” recipes if available;
- Mindful of the portion size of the drinks and choose the smaller portion or share the drinks with others;
- Carefully choose the ingredients to be added into the drinks with particular attention to whether ingredients increase the sugar and energy content of the drinks;
- When purchasing prepackaged beverages, take note of the nutrition labels for their sugar and energy levels.
Suggestions for the food and beverage industry:
- Review the preset preparation formulas for tea beverages and choose raw ingredients with lower sugar and fat, such as using no-sugar green tea powder, to allow consumers to decide on the sugar content as well as to choose skimmed milk to replace non-dairy creamer;
- Practice good quality control to ensure consistent product quality. Devise standard procedures for the preparation of beverages and use standardized spoons to measure the quantity of sugar or other ingredients containing sugar to be added to the drinks;
- Apart from medium or large portion size, the industry should also consider introducing smaller portion, such as 250ml, so as to offer more choices for consumers;
- Display the nutrition information of the beverages (particularly the energy/calories and sugar) on the menu, price list and other published materials to facilitate consumers in making informed choices.
The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE magazine and Online CHOICE.