Incase you don't know: a bottle ov coke contains 44 cubes of sugar

The European president of Coca-Cola has admitted
that some customers 'don't realise' how much sugar
is in the company's drinks.
Speaking on Newsnight,James Quincey also
conceded that 'things need to change' and servings
had to reduce in size.
The admission came after Jeremy Paxman took him
to task on the size of servings available in cinemas –
some of which contain a staggering 44 teaspoons of
sugar.
When asked by Mr Paxman what good Coca-Cola did
its consumers, Mr Quincey said: 'It does have some
sugar in it… it has energy, but is it a necessity? No
it's not. But millions of people enjoy it as part of their
diet across the UK.'
Mr Quincey also pointed put that a regular can of the
drink – which contains 35g or six teaspoons of sugar
– was similar in calories to 'a cappuccino or a half a
croissant'.
He stressed that the company was working hard to
promote the calorie and sugar content of its products
so that consumers could make informed choices.
But when asked by Mr Paxman if he thought people
had any idea how much sugar is in small and large
servings of Coke at the cinema, he was forced to
reply: 'I think maybe they don't',
He conceded: 'Things need to change and the bigger
cups need to come down,' he said.
A 'small' cinema serving is said to contain a 23
teaspoons on sugar, while a large contains 44 – 'each
to be consumed in a single sitting,' Mr Paxman
added.
Mr Quincey argued that the company wasn't trying to
hide the information and was 'focused on
getting the information out there'.
'Then they can make choices and if they don't want
to buy one… clearly [these sizes] won't be for
everyone,' he added.
But he agreed that the 'bigger cups need to come
down' and there may be 'smaller packages'.
'I don't think we are saying that the world can't
change and doesn't need to move on – we do need to
recognise that things need to change,' he said.
Supersize: A 'small'
cinema serving is said to contain a 23 teaspoons on
sugar, while a large contains 44 – 'each to be
consumed in a single sitting,' Mr Paxman told Mr
Quincey (right)
UK guidelines recommend that 'added' sugars –
those used to sweeten food, fizzy drinks, honeys,
syrups and fruit juices – shouldn't make up more
than 10 per cent of the total energy we get from
food.
This is around 50g of sugar a day, equivalent to 10
cubes of sugar for adults and older children, and nine
for five to ten-year-olds.
But just one 500ml bottle of Coke will send you over
this limit, with 10.5 cubes.
Earlier this year Coca-Cola, the parent company of
Sprite, announced that the fizzy lemon and lime
flavoured drink was to be scrapped in favour of a
lower-calorie version that uses a 'natural' sweetener,
Stevia.
The new formulation contains 30 per cent fewer
calories. The drink was altered as part of Coca-Cola's
anti-obesity drive and followed a call by the
government to address the issue.
Which has more calories, a coke or a cappuccino?
UK guidelines
recommend that 'added' sugars – those used to
sweeten food, fizzy drinks, honeys, syrups and fruit
juices – shouldn't make up more than 10 per cent of
the total energy we get from food. But just one
500ml bottle of Coke will send you over this limit,
with 10.5 cubes
Coca-Cola also began airing anti-obesity TV ads this
year to 'remind' viewers that all calories count in
managing weight, including those in Coca-Cola's
products.
Aside from Sprite, the company also said to be
exploring more diet options.
Diet drinks already make up nearly half of Coca-
Cola's UK sales, with Diet Coke and Coke Zero
accounting for 45 per cent of sales.
At the Sprite announcement the company said that
since 2007, it had reduced the calorie content of
Fanta Orange by 30 per cent, Oasis by 35 per cent
and Lilt by 56 per cent.
It also plans to reduce the average calories per litre in
sparkling soft drinks by five per cent by the end of
2014.
Sources: Daily Mail