Descriptive Analysis Study of the Total Sugar Content of Pre-packaged Beverages Available in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background Since beverages are a major source of sugar, most efforts to reduce sugar consumption focus on limiting sugary drinks. Measuring the sugar content in beverages can assist public health organizations in regulating the total and added sugar content in pre-packaged beverages, leading to better public health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to provide a descriptive analysis of total sugar content and determine the sugar/sweetener types in a representative sample of pre-packaged beverages available in Saudi Arabia. Methods This is a descriptive observational analysis study of pre-packaged beverages within the Saudi branded food database. The analysis covered 12 beverage categories and 28 types of commonly available sugars in beverages. Moreover, the product's source of data, the product's origin, and the amount of total sugar and added sugar in the beverages categories were described. The beverages' median total sugar was also determined and assessed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended upper limit of sugar intake and the multiple traffic light labeling (MTL) criteria. Different analyses were performed including frequencies and median to determine the categories with high sugar content and non-parametric tests to compare the median of the total sugar among categories. Results We included 1400 beverages in this study; the median total sugar content in beverage products in the Saudi market was 11 g/100 mL, and fruit juices and soft drinks had the highest median of total sugar 12–11g/100mL, respectively. The top sugar terms found are (Sucrose, High-fructose corn Syrup, and Glucose syrup) were found in 110 beverage products (7.8%), collectively. The median total sugar in our study amounts to 20% of the WHO upper limit recommendation for a person on a 2000-calorie diet, and 46.22% of the beverage products would receive a ‘red’ (high) label for sugar content per 100mL based on the MTL criteria. Conclusion Sugar content in the pre-packaged beverages is high compared to the recommended daily limit of sugar. To promote healthy dietary choices, we suggest that public health specialists launch educational campaigns to inform consumers about the risks associated with higher sugar intake and how to interpret labels effectively.