Euromonitor latest research indicates that in 2015 up to 4 times more calories are consumed in alcoholic drinks than soft drinks in 24 Euromonitor’s researched countries. Energy obtained from alcohol in countries such as Japan, Germany and the UK exceeds that from soft drinks. South Korea consumes 167.9 calories per capita per day from alcoholic drinks compared to only 44.2 calories from soft drinks.
The average daily consumption of calories in the world is 1,398, with the lowest seen in India at 761 calories per capita per day to the highest in Belgium at 2,559 calories per capita per day. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of healthy weight in prevention of diabetes and other diseases, so minimizing sugar and calorie intake is high on consumers’ agenda.
Sara Petersson, nutrition analyst at Euromonitor International comments: “Sugar has been branded as ‘toxic’ and ‘the new tobacco’, with soft drinks cited as one of the main contributors to sugar intake. Though sugar is indeed strongly related to obesity and diseases, so is alcohol. In addition to that, the evidence for the relationship between alcohol consumption and morbidity is far stronger, and the effects far more detrimental to health. Interestingly, while the focus on calorie reduction has been primarily put on soft drinks, Passport Nutrition has shown that alcoholic drinks are not far off in terms of the energy they provide, and even overtake soft drinks in some instances. Nutrition can be difficult to understand and therefore difficult to control or standardise. While efforts at improving our diets are being made, it is becoming abundantly clear that there is still a lot to evaluate to make any regulations sensible, but most importantly, effective.”
The new nutrition research also shows:
– The average daily consumption of calories in the world is 1,398 calories, with the lowest seen in India at 761 calories per capita per day to the highest in Belgium at 2,559 calories per capita per day.
– 78% of developing countries tracked by Passport Nutrition obtain more calories from Packaged Food than from Fresh Food
– While Fresh Food alone contributes 30 grams of protein per capita per day globally, Packaged Food tops it up with an additional 16 grams per capita per day.
– Among the four BRIC countries, as well as US, Germany and the UK, India is the only one in which meat is not the primary source of protein
– Though it provides only 1.1 grams of salt per 100 grams of bread on average, bread indeed delivers as much as two grams of salt per capita per day to the German diet because of the sheer volume of it consumed.
– UK, packaged bread provides approximately 0.6 grams of salt per capita per day, compared to crisps, which only contribute to just 0.1 grams of salt per capita per day
– The global purchase of sugar is currently 140 million tonnes per year, and is expected to rise up to 156 million tonnes over the 2015-2020 forecast period.
– In per capita terms Packaged Food, Soft Drinks, and Fresh Food on average contribute 73 grams of sugar a day, which translates to over 18 teaspoons of sugar.
