U.S. Foods Often Contain More Sugar Than UK and EU Counterparts
Stricter standards, differing tastes, and tax laws play a role
I’ve started to wonder if U.S. nationalism and “American Exceptionalism” has made our country exceptionally fat.
Obesity is a growing epidemic worldwide, but among economically advanced nations, the U.S. is by far the international leader although other nations also have an obesity crisis. Over 25 percent of people in the UK and Ireland are obese, and across Europe, the obesity rate is also about 24 percent, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). There are many explanations for why the U.S. is so much fatter than European or Asian nations, but one clear difference stands out: sugar.
Not just sweetened soda, but many other packaged foods sold in the U.S. contain up to twice as much sugar as their European counterparts. Back in 2004, a USDA report showed that U.S. basic food availability included nearly twice as much sugar as any European country. Correspondingly, the U.S. food system included significantly less fruits and vegetables than Mediterranean countries, especially Greece.
Laws can also influence the content of commercial foods. Many European countries, as well as the United Kingdom, have laws that either limit sugar in beverages and prepared foods, or issue taxes on them. The UK’s sugar tax started in 2018. Unlike consumer taxes in U.S. cities like New York and Oakland, this tax is assessed on beverage makers. There are similar taxes in other EU countries, including Ireland and Finland.
I recall many heavy pushes on the part of conservatives to limit or protest any type of tax on sweetened sodas or other sources of excessive sugar. While researching the Clinton Foundation several years ago, I also located the minutes of meetings held with the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the executives of all of the major beverage companies.
The main goal of these initiatives seems to have been to blunt or stall any public efforts to assess sugar taxes, as the UK and some EU nations have done. In case you may have wondered, children in the UK are growing less fat following the implementation of the 2018 tax.
So, let’s look at the different sugar content of U.S. vs. EU/UK common products:
Coca-Cola UK has the same amount of sugar per 100ml as U.S., Coke, 10.6 grams, but to reduce the effect of the sugar tax, UK cans of Coke are smaller. There’s also another difference: like most world nations, UK Coca-Cola is made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.
However, with some other sodas, the U.S. brand amounts of sugar are significantly higher:
Dr. Pepper UK: 24 grams of sugar
Dr. Pepper Germany: 22 grams of sugar
Dr. Pepper US: 36 grams of sugar
Sprite UK: 22 grams of sugar
Sprite US: 44 grams of sugar
Let’s look at Pop Tarts: a very sugary food no matter where they’re sold. UK Pop Tarts slightly outweigh the US variety, at 50 grams to 48 grams. Pop Tarts come in a lot of flavors, but Strawberry UK Pop Tarts contain 70% more “jam” filling than US Pop Tarts.
UK Pop Tarts contain 18 grams of sugar per Tart
US Pop Tarts contain 33 grams of sugar per Tart
In other words, US Pop Tarts contain twice as much sugar in a slightly smaller pastry than their UK cousins and also have a lot less fruit filling.
McDonald’s products vary from nation to nation, but one of the most famous comparisons looks at the fast food chain’s strawberry shake.
McDonald’s Strawberry Shake UK (Med.): 356 calories, 57 grams sugar
McDonald’s Strawberry Shake US (Med.): 600 calories, 74 grams sugar
McDonald’s Strawberry Shake FR (Sm.): 230 calories, 20 grams sugar
McDonald’s in France doesn’t offer any larger milkshake products, and offers only a small vanilla and strawberry “treat” shake.
Ingredients in these products also differ due to international regulations; for example, the syrup used to make the shakes in the UK contains 8 ingredients and uses beetroot for coloring. The U.S. syrup contains 15 ingredients including Red 40 for coloring, illegal in the UK and EU, and high fructose corn syrup.
Supermarkets in the UK sell soft white sandwich bread which is similar to US white sandwich bread.
White sandwich bread UK (Tesco): 1.4 grams sugar
White sandwich bread US (WalMart): 2 grams sugar
White sandwich bread US (Wonder Bread): 5 grams sugar
Most other UK and European breads contain no sugar. Ireland’s Supreme Court famously voted that Subway’s breads could not legally be called bread as they contained too much sugar.
Whether in the U.S. or abroad, Subway bread contains significant amounts of sugar. Foot-long Subway buns all contain at least six grams of sugar, with their gluten-free bread topping out at 14 grams of sugar, over 3 teaspoon’s worth.
According to the American Heart Association, adult women are advised to eat no more than 25 grams of sugar (5–6 teaspoons) per day, while adult men are advised to stay under 36 grams or 9 teaspoons of sugar a day.
While higher sugar content of commonly-consumed foods isn’t the only reason people in the U.S. are fatter than their UK or European counterparts, it seems likely to be a contributing factor.
The lower sugar content of equivalent products in the UK and EU isn’t just a result of public taste, it is also a result of higher regulatory standards and a lower public tolerance for complex food formulations that include many additives, chemical colorings and flavorings in addition to ingredients like high fructose corn syrup.
If I shop at the German-owned chain Aldi, I can often find imported German food products. Not only do many of them contain less sugar than similar US food products, they also have simpler, shorter ingredient lists, usually with many fewer preservatives. And for the few I’ve tried? I’d say they’re tastier, too. Aldi’s has bought Winn-Dixie, and also owns Trader Joe’s, so here’s another tip: you can often find the same products at Aldi as at Trader Joe’s in slightly less fancy packaging for significantly less money.