A comparative testing report on 17 types of pre-packed juice drinks sold in Macau, released by the Macau Consumer Council (CC) last month, notes that nearly all the samples from the 17 types of juices exceeded the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), some of which even surpassed the maximum limit.
The samples of the survey were randomly chosen at various supermarkets in Macau earlier this year, the report noted, adding that of the 17 different brands of pre-packed juice drinks, none were raw or fresh juice, with retail prices ranging from 3.80 to 13.80 patacas and sizes ranging from 120 ml to 500 ml.
According to the labels of the samples, the products were from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The sugar content of the 17 samples ranged from 7.5 g to 13.5 g per 100ml, with “Haital Bon Bon Peach Juice” from South Korea found to have had the highest sugar content among the 17 samples, at 13.5 g per 100ml, according to the report.
The sugar content of the 17 samples ranged from 13.0 to 56.8 g, with the 490 ml carton of the Green Power Mango Juice Drink from Taiwan the highest at 56.8 g, the statement noted, adding that a total of 15 samples, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total samples, exceeded the daily sugar intake limit of 25 grams recommended by the WHO conditions, while two of the samples contained more than 50 grams of sugar each.
The statement pointed out that sugar can provide energy for our body, with one gram of sugar providing four kilocalories of energy, but excessive intake will increase the absorption of calories, leading to an increased risk of becoming overweight and even obese.
For the daily intake limit of sugar, the WHO has made targeted recommendations, with, as an example, the average adult should not consume more than 2,000 calories per day. The WHO strongly recommends that the daily intake of added sugar should not exceed 50 grams, but also recommends that the daily intake range should be less than 25 grams if the conditions permit.
The report noted that fruit juice drinks on the market may contain sugar and additives such as flavourings or colourings to make them taste better, adding that some fruit juice products will reduce or even lose dietary fibre and vitamins during the production process.
The report also pointed out that dietary fibre can increase gastrointestinal peristalsis*, promote digestion and absorption, help reduce cholesterol and control blood sugar. Therefore, the CC recommended direct consumption of fruit, which has higher nutritional value than juice.
* The rhythmic, wave-like contraction and relaxation of muscles so as to propagate motion, as of food in the digestive tract. – Source: Wiktionary
This table provided by the Macau Consumer Council (CC) in July shows the sugar and calories contained in 17 different brands of pre-packed juice drinks sold in Macau.
