Cross-sectional survey of the amount of sugar and energy in cakes and biscuits on sale in the UK for the evaluation of the sugar-reduction programme

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the variation in sugar and energy content of cakes and biscuits available in the UK. DESIGN: We carried out a cross-sectional survey in 2016 of 381 cakes and 481 biscuits available in nine main UK supermarkets. METHODS: The sugar and energy content was collected from product packaging and nutrition labelling of cake and biscuit products. RESULTS: The average sugar content in cakes and biscuits was 36.6±7.6 and 30.0±9.2 g/100 g, respectively. The mean energy content was 406±37 for cakes and 484±38 kcal/100 g for biscuits. There was a large variation in sugar and energy content between different cake and biscuit categories and within the same category. 97% of cakes and 74% of biscuits would receive a ‘red’ (high) label for sugar. CONCLUSIONS: This research makes available baseline data of the cakes and biscuits market in the UK for future evaluation of the recently launched sugar-reduction programme. The study showed that reductions in sugar and energy content of cakes and biscuits are possible, since there was a large variation in sugar and energy content between different cake and biscuit categories and within the same category. A reduction in sugar and energy content, and overall cake and biscuit consumption, can help reduce overall sugar and energy intake in the UK and thus reduce the risk of obesity and dental caries.