Iced coffee can be more sugary than chocolate - Which?

Iced coffees from precocious thoroughfare chains tin beryllium much sugary than cocoa and fizzy drinks, probe by user lobby radical Which? has found.

Frappes and frappuccinos from Costa, Starbucks and Caffe Nero were compared, and immoderate recovered to person "exceptionally high" levels of sugar.

Adults should devour nary much than 30g of sweetener per day, the NHS says, but 1 portion had 48.5g.

The companies each separately said they offered alternate choices.

A Mars barroom has 31g of sugar, portion a 330ml Coca-Cola tin has 35g.

Starbucks' caramel frappuccino made with semi-skimmed beverage had 48.5g - the highest sweetener contented of each drinks analysed by Which?

A spokeswoman said the institution was committed to helping customers "make informed and improved choices," and they offered options to customise drinks that could trim the sweetener content.

"Sugar contented for an iced latte with semi-skimmed milk, 1 of our astir fashionable beverages, starts from 8.7g for a gangly size," the spokeswoman added.

Caffe Nero's Belgian cocoa and hazelnut frappe meantime had 44.3g (or 11 teaspoons) of sugar,

It said this portion was a "treat" and made up little than 5% of its summertime drinks sales. The institution said its iced latte, which is its highest seller, contained nary added sugar.

Meanwhile Costa Coffee's cocoa fudge brownie frappe mocha with oat beverage had 42.6g of sweetener successful the survey.

A spokeswoman said it lone offered "limited-edition seasonal drinks, including our summertime scope of frappes, successful tiny and mean sizes".

She added it offered different drinks, immoderate of which contained little than 40 calories, and 2 teaspoons of added sweetener per serving.

"All drinks tin besides beryllium customised to trim the calorie oregon sweetener content, including requesting skimmed beverage and removing toppings, oregon downsizing to a smaller cupful size," she said.

In 2018 the authorities introduced a levy known arsenic a "sugar tax," meaning manufacturers wage a levy connected high-sugar drinks they sell.

However, immoderate drinks are exempt from the tax, including effect juices and drinks made on-site and served successful unfastened cups. Syrups, often utilized successful frappes, are besides exempt.

Nutritionist Shefalee Loth - who carried retired the Which? probe - said: "High thoroughfare chains request to instrumentality much work and trim the excessive sweetener contented of immoderate of their drinks to support people's health."

Which? suggested consumers wishing to chopped their sweetener intake power to iced versions of a modular java instead.

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