HAND-SHAKEN TEA SHOPS: The survey found that the actual sugar and calorie content of beverages ranged from 2.2 to 6.9 times the amounts listed on labels

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 04, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Many sweetened beverages sold at hand-shaken tea shops contain excessive amounts of added sugars that often exceed the recommended daily amount for adults, a survey released yesterday by the John Tung Foundation showed.

The survey found that the actual sugar and calories contained in beverages are often much higher than the totals claimed by businesses, as calories from added sugar and toppings are not taken into account.

The foundation from January to March examined 169 types of beverages sold at 55 branch stores operated by 22 hand-shaken tea chains in Taipei.

Added sugars should not make up more than 10 percent of the total daily calorie intake, according to the Health Promotion Administration’s national dietary guidelines for adults, so a person who consumes 2,000 calories per day should not consume more than 200 calories of added sugars, which is equivalent to about 50g of sugar, foundation nutritionist Yu Hsuan-wen (尤宣文) said.    [FULL  STORY]