Australia has achieved the World Health Organization’s (WHO) sugar guidelines that suggest keeping sugar below 10% of daily energy intake. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that the country has reduced its consumption of sugar from food and beverages over the past three decades.
In 1995, sugar constituted about 12.5% of our daily energy intake. This percentage fell to 10.9% in 2011-12 and further to 8.2% in 2023, even as our overall food and drink energy intake decreased by less than 5%.
Reducing Sugary Drink Consumption
Notably, Australians are consuming far fewer sugary drinks than in previous years. This includes beverages sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners, or both, such as soft drinks, cordials, fruit juices, and energy drinks.
In 2011-12, approximately 42% of the population consumed at least one sugary drink daily. By 2023, this percentage had decreased to under 29%.
In 1995, nearly three-quarters of children (72%) consumed a sugary drink every day. By 2023, this percentage had fallen to a mere 25%.
Why Is Sugar Reduction Important?
Consuming high amounts of sugar is detrimental to our health. Sugary foods and beverages are discretionary or occasional foods, offering little nutritional value while adding empty calories to our diet.
Increased sugar intake can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay. Sweet beverages do not satiate us like regular meals do, making it easy to overlook the energy we are consuming.
Average soft drinks contain about 40 grams (10 teaspoons) of sugar per serve, which is near the daily limit. Energy drinks may contain up to double that amount, while sports drinks may contain slightly less.
Trends Over Three Decades
Between 1995 and 2023, there was a 65.28% drop in children consuming sugary drinks. The percentage of adults consuming sugary drinks dropped from 40.2% in 2011-12 to 29.9% in 2023. However, adults still consume about 5% more sugary drinks than children.
On average, Australians have less sugar in their diet than a decade ago. This shift isn’t just about soft drinks – we’re also reducing the sugar in our tea and coffee, eating fewer candies and desserts, and reaching less often for fruit juice.
Children have seen the most significant changes. In the mid-1990s, children derived almost one-fifth of their daily energy from sugar. Today, that figure is closer to one-eighth, with our overall energy intake remaining quite similar.
What’s Driving the Change?
The new data suggests that efforts by individuals, families, communities, and some food manufacturers to reduce sugar intake over the past few years may be effective.
A decline in sugary drink consumption may indicate growing awareness of the damaging effects of sugar, possibly due to social media campaigns, improved labelling on food and beverage products, increased public messaging, and industry changes, such as more brands offering lower-sugar alternatives.
A Segment of the Larger Picture
Despite a decrease in sugar consumption, obesity rates continue to rise among both children and adults.
Research suggests that sugar is just one factor and that overall diet quality and broader eating patterns play a significant role in our health.
Discretionary foods, including snacks, chips, convenience meals, chocolate, and other highly processed foods, still constitute around a third (31.3%) of the average Australian diet.
This means many individuals are still regularly consuming sweet drinks and highly processed foods, which are sources of added sugars and excess energy, viewed as empty calories that pose their own health risks with little nutritional value.
What’s Next?
The new data shows progress in tackling the amount of sugar in our diets, but there’s still work to be done.
To sustain these positive trends, we need to consider stronger government action to support all communities in addressing broader food system challenges, such as food insecurity and limited access to healthy food, which often results in people consuming more highly processed foods.
Policies such as sugary drink taxes, restrictions on marketing junk food to children, and clear front-of-pack labels should be considered. Additionally, more incentives for industry to reformulate products to lower-sugar options where possible are needed.
Education campaigns can help communities and schools where high-sugar habits are common to learn about healthier alternatives without stigma. Furthermore, collecting additional data to understand where dietary sugar comes from, beyond sugary drinks, is also necessary.
Even though Australia may be shedding its historically high sugar consumption, ensuring a permanent change will require sustained effort.
Questions & Answers
What has been the trend in sugar intake in Australia over the past three decades?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports a consistent decrease in sugar intake from food and drinks over the past thirty years in Australia.
What are the health risks of high sugar intake?
High sugar intake can increase the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay.
What actions can be taken to sustain the positive trend in reducing sugar consumption?
Actions that can help sustain the positive trend include stronger government action, implementing policies such as sugary drink taxes, clear labeling, promoting lower-sugar alternatives, educational campaigns, and further data collection.
