13 May 2025
Health experts behind the Rethink Sugary Drink Alliance are calling for mandatory displays of teaspoons of sugar on sugary drink labels to improve transparency and health, with new research showing the majority of Australians back the policy.
New results from Cancer Council Victoria’s Shape of Australia survey 2024, which surveyed almost 2,000 people, show 80% of Australians are in favour of the Federal Government requiring sugary drinks to display the number of teaspoons of added sugar on the front of the bottle.
Head of Prevention at Cancer Council Victoria, Craig Sinclair, said there is also evidence to show front of pack nutrition labels improve knowledge and encourage food companies to produce healthier products.
“We do know that placing teaspoons of sugar on labels can result in increased awareness of the amount of sugar in drinks and importantly shift people to healthier beverages,” Mr Sinclair said.
“The latest research supports other studies which show that Australian consumers found that front-of-pack label designs that quantify sugar content in drinks using teaspoons of sugar are consistently high performers, so now we need to build this into our policies to help decrease overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.”
Concerningly, the recent Shape of Australia survey also found many Australians don’t know the full spectrum of products which constitute a sugary drink. Only 1 in 4 responding believed that a sports drink was a sugary drink and 1 in 3 didn’t realise a fruit drink fell into this category. Yet these products can often contain up to 9-10 teaspoons of sugar per bottle.
“Understanding how many teaspoons of sugar are actually in your energy drink or fruit juice will help educate communities that these products are sugary in nature, helping more Australians to rethink sugary drink and switch to water to improve their health,” Mr Sinclair said.
"Plus other countries, including Chile and Mexico, have introduced policies that put essential nutritional information about sugars on the front of pack. It's time for Australia to catch up. Putting teaspoons of sugar on the front of sugary drinks would be world-leading policy to improve diets and prevent chronic disease.”
The Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes in 2024 also recently recommended the Australian Government to introduce added sugar labeling on the front of food and drink packs.
President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) President Dr Danielle McMullen, a Rethink Sugary Drink member says consumers have had enough of misleading packaging and want to know what’s in the food they’re consuming.
"Australia has a massive issue with sugar, and it is fuelling the country's obesity crisis,” Dr McMullen said.
"Soft drink marketing and labelling is intentionally deceptive and many Australians, including children, may not know just how much sugar is in these sickly sweet beverages, so any changes to improve consumer understanding would be welcome.”
A Senior Food and Nutrition Advisor at the Heart Foundation, Jemma O’Hanlon, says shoppers deserve honest and transparent labelling, including how much added sugar is in the products they're consuming, especially for shoppers who regularly purchase sugary drinks.
“There should be greater awareness that just one 600mL bottle of soft drink offers no nutritional value and can contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar. That’s more than the World Health Organization’s recommended limit in an entire day,” Ms O’Hanlon said.
“We know that reducing added sugar intake is important for maintaining a healthy weight, which can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, kidney disease and many cancers.”
Rethink Sugary Drink is a partnership between 21 leading public health organisations across Australia, including Cancer Council Victoria and the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Heart Foundation and Australian Dental Association, which are all committed to tackling the overconsumption of sugary drinks.
Visit
www.rethinksugarydrink.org.au for more information as well as facts, tips, and resources to help you or someone you know cut back on their sugar consumption.
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About Rethink Sugary Drink
Rethink Sugary Drink is a partnership between the Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Australian Dental Association, Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association, Australian Medical Association, Cancer Council Australia, Dental Health Services Victoria, Dental Hygienists Association of Australia, Dental Assistants Professional Association, Diabetes Australia, Healthier Workplace WA, Heart Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, LiveLighter, Nutrition Australia, Food for Health Alliance, Parents’ Voice, Public Health Association Australia, Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, Stroke Foundation, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the YMCA to raise awareness of the amount of sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages and encourage Australians to reduce their consumption.