[
[David] Testing the coffee giants.
I can't believe that.
[David] Prepare for some sugar shock.
There should be two teaspoons in a double-double but it's not.
[David] Not just coffee, smoothies and tea drinks too.
One, three, six.
You're getting about six teaspoons of sugar in here.
Sorry, six?
-Six? -In that size?
And that makes it really difficult to make more
nutritious choice.
This is where I think Canadians are being misled.
[♪♪♪]
[Charlsie] We're cruising for a caffeine fix.
Thank you for choosing Tim Horton's, how can I help you?
[Charlsie] At some of our favourite coffee shops, Tim
Horton's, McDonald's McCafé, and Starbucks.
We're on the lookout for sugar in some of our frothy
favourites, even those you might not expect to be so sweet.
-Thank you! -Thank you!
Thank you!
[Charlsie] To get the scoop on what we're sipping
I'm heading to the CBC to meet up with two sugar specialists,
registered dietician Stefania Palmeri, and Doctor Supriya
Joshi, a liver specialist and gastroenterologist.
Hello ladies.
-Hello. -Hi.
We came with drinks.
Yes, we did.
[Charlsie] They say the amount of sugar in some of these in
drinks is anything but sweet.
I think it's easy for people to overdo it with drinks having no
idea how many spoons of sugar are in that one drink.
[Charlsie] So just how much sugar are we talking about?
It's coffee time!
First up, Tim Horton's.
And sugar shock #1, a Canadian classic.
Could I please have one medium, double-double?
[Charlsie] The medium double-double.
-There you go. -Perfect, thank you.
So, Supriya, double-double, two teaspoons of sugar, two
teaspoons of cream, right?
I wish that was the case, but not at all.
And that's where I think Canadians are being misled.
[Charlsie] Wait, what?
Break down the sugar for me.
What is actually in here?
So as the name implies, it should be just two teaspoons in
a double-double, but it's not.
[Charlsie] There's 21 grams of sugar, here's what that looks
like in teaspoons.
One, two, three, four.
Plus, about another teaspoon from the cream.
That's how much sugar is in one double-double.
A medium double-double from Tim Horton's is, calorie-wise and
sugar-wise, close to a fifty-gram Caramilk bar.
So, when you put it in perspective in that sense of,
you're having a chocolate bar on your drive in to work every
morning, then that might shift perspective.
So, if you were to drink a medium double-double every day
over a year, how much sugar would we talking about?
That would translate to about four of the two kilo bags of
sugar a year, just from your beverage alone.
I can't believe that.
[Charlsie] And get this, a large double-double has even more,
it's got a total of 27 grams of sugar.
Almost 7 teaspoons.
We're heading to the sweetest spot in Toronto, Sugar Beach, to
share the bitter news.
How many teaspoons of sugar do you think are in the
double-double?
The name itself implies two, like two cream, two sugar.
So, two teaspoons?
What do you think?
Probably around two.
Uh, I was thinking four.
Four, probably. [Laughter]
Okay, so you're right.
-Four teaspoons. -What?
Oh, I'd believe that.
I would.
-Oh, wow. -That's a lot.
Plus, there's more sugar when you consider the cream.
Really?
I don't take any sugar in my coffee usually,
but that's shocking.
Are we just addicted to sweet?
I think so.
I think people are addicted to sweet, and it's leading
to a healthcare crisis.
We can't ignore the fact that two thirds of adult
Canadians are either overweight or suffer from obesity.
[Charlsie] We ask Tim Horton's why their medium double-double
has more sugar than some folks think.
They say the amount of dairy and sugar added depends on the size.
So, a double-double will taste the same no matter
what size you get.
If you're looking to shrink your sugar intake Stefania says you
can always shrink the portion and ask for less sugar.
A small regular coffee at Tim Horton's would have one cream,
one sugar, and that actually translates to eight grams of
sugar which is a true two teaspoons.
Could I also have one medium iced cap light?
[Charlsie] Next up an iced capp light, it's sugar shock #2.
Now, Stefania, iced capp light, that sounds like it should be a
healthier option, right?
So, I think a lot of people think light means fewer
calories, means better for me, but what I always encourage
people to think of is food isn't just calories, we eat food for
more than those reasons.
We want to look at the protein, the carb, the fat content, the
fiber, and the sugar content.
So, we know a beverage like this isn't going to have any protein
or fiber per se, but it will have quite a bit of sugar.
I see on the menu here you have an iced cap light and an iced
cappuccino.
What's the difference?
[Charlsie] A medium iced capp light has 40% fewer calories
than a regular iced capp but it has the same amount of sugar.
We're going to get the bigger bowl for the iced cap light.
One, five, nine.
[Charlsie] Over 9 teaspoons of sugar, that is 39 grams, the
same amount as the regular iced capp and the same amount as a
can of coke.
People associate light with fewer calories, hopefully less
sugar, not actually knowing that that's relatively unchanged.
If the only thing you change as part of that ingredient mix is
the cream, all you're really changing is the fat content.
[Charlsie] Our next stop, Starbucks.
Could I have a grande matcha, green tea latte, please?
It sounds healthy but this matcha green tea latte is sugar
shock #3.
What do you think when you hear matcha green tea?
Definitely on the healthier side.
-Healthy. -Sweet.
Sweet? He said healthy, she said sweet.
Well, the green tea.
The matcha green tea latte is made with something called
matcha powder.
[Charlsie] And while matcha powder is simply powdered green
tea, Starbucks adds sugar to its matcha latte unless you ask for
it to come unsweetened.
And that makes it really difficult to make a more
nutritious choice.
So let's do a little more measuring, 'cause you know, we
like to do that.
So, one, three, six, and a bit.
Wow.
People know matcha is, you know, in line with what should be a
good health change.
But it's been affected negatively by the sugar
added to it.
You're getting about six teaspoons of sugar in here.
-Woof. -Sorry, six?
Six? In that size?
Six teaspoons of sugar.
Not surprised.
-Are you surprised? -I'm surprised, yeah.
I never really thought about it, but yeah.
[Charlsie] Stefania's suggestion for a smart swap?
If someone's looking to have matcha or a green tea for its
health properties, just to have a plain green tea itself.
[Charlsie] Tea is the most beloved beverage in the UK so,
we're off to London!
Well, virtually anyway.
Can you hear me better now, is that ok?
[Charlsie] To meet an expert who says that while a spoonful of
sugar might help the medicine go down, there's just far too many
in most drinks at coffee shops.
So, what is available seems to be predominantly options that
are not particularly healthy, and I think there is a lot of
scope for companies to do better.
[Charlsie] Kawther Hashem is with a group
called Action on Sugar.
They rank drinks in popular chains in the UK based on the
amount of sugar they have.
People just don't know that actually they contain such
staggering levels.
And the reason they don't know is because that kind of labeling
is not available in the outlets itself.
[Charlsie] So, what about drinks here in Canada?
May I have a grande caramel Frappuccino please?
[Charlsie] Time for sugar shock #4, a Starbucks grande caramel
Frappuccino.
How much sugar is in here?
One, this is going to really take a while.
Oh, my gosh. Six.
Thirteen.
Thirteen teaspoons!
It's like dessert in a glass.
Wow.
[Charlsie] Yup, it has 54 grams of sugar in Canada, but the same
drink in the UK has less.
49 grams.
In fact, all the Starbucks Frappuccinos we could compare
have less sugar in the UK than in Canada.
Kawther says that could be thanks to a voluntary program
created by the UK government.
Some food and beverage companies like Starbucks have pledged to
reduce sugar there by 20%.
We have the government program to voluntarily get companies to
reduce the amount of sugar, not just in these types of drinks,
but in many different kinds of products that they sold that
contain sugar.
[Charlsie] As for sugary soft drinks?
Companies have to put their money where your mouth is.
Manufacturers have to pay a levy to the UK government if they
don't want to reduce the amount of sugar in their pop.
We've seen a reduction of about 35% in sugar sold through soft
drinks, through the soft drinks that have been subject to the
levy.
-So, it worked. -It totally worked.
[Charlsie] It's a fee for companies, not consumers.
Do you think that that sugar levy should be applied further
to include sugary coffee drinks?
Yes, we do think so.
[Charlsie] We ask Starbucks about the sugar in their drinks.
They say customers can customize many drinks by having them
sweetened to their preference.
A smart swap from Stefania if you're at Starbucks?
Try an unsweetened iced latte in a grande which does reduce
the added sugar content and the calories significantly.
[David] Up next, McDonald's.
One, eight, fourteen.
Almost there!
Oh my God.
[David] Get more Marketplace.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter cbc.ca/marketplace.
[David] This is your Marketplace.
[Charlsie] We're searching for sugar shocks at coffee
chains, drinks that seem healthy but have more
sugar than you might expect.
Hello, could I please have a medium mango pineapple real
fruit smoothie?
[Charlsie] Ours is without yogurt.
Thank you.
[Charlsie] And this smoothie from McCafé is sugar shock #5.
So, this smoothie I think would surprise many in that there
isn't necessarily a very high fiber content because the base
of the drink is a fruit juice concentrate.
Okay, hold on a minute.
This is literally called the real fruit smoothie, and you
just talked about fruit concentrate, so what's the
difference?
So, the goal of eating fruit is because of the benefits of the
fiber and the nutrients that are usually in the skins and the
pulp.
So, to have a product with fruit juice concentrate that's devoid
of those nutrients really doesn't serve us anymore.
So, fruit juice concentrate is not the same thing as eating a
piece of real fruit?
Correct.
[Charlsie] As for the sugar?
One, ten.
Keep going.
[Charlsie] McCafé's online nutritional info says this
medium size mango pineapple smoothie has 57 grams of sugar
which is about 14 teaspoons.
Fourteen teaspoons of sugar.
What? That's like half the cup!
Oh! Goodness.
Really? Holy cow.
-Oh my god.
I'm wondering how much sugar is in this now.
[Charlsie] A tip from our experts for a healthier
smoothie, make your own at home with whole fruit in a
blender but keep an eye on the amount.
Lay out all the things that you would want to put into your
smoothie, and if you can't actually eat all of that in one
sitting, then that's too much.
[Charlsie] The sugar seems supersized in our next drink.
Sugar shock #6 from McCafé.
And a vanilla chai iced frappe thank you.
You too!
Vanilla and chai I find people that I've spoken to consider
those natural ingredients or natural flavours.
And usually anything with a natural connotation is seen as
positive, but not necessarily so.
[Charlsie] This medium vanilla chai iced frappe is the biggest
sugar shock out of the drinks we bought.
One, eight, fourteen.
Almost there!
It has 79 grams of sugar, which is a whopping 19 teaspoons.
Nineteen teaspoons.
This would translate to from a calorie and a sugar standpoint,
two cups of a caramel praline ice cream.
So, this is more like a milkshake.
Correct.
-Nineteen teaspoons of sugar. -Oh my god.
-Oh my. -That's awful.
Do they-- are they being made to show that on the packaging?
You can find it on the website, that's where we found it.
People don't look at the website when they go to buy a drink on a
hot day.
[Charlsie] Kawther says that's a lot of sugar for just one day.
That's only coming from a drink.
You know, you're not including the breakfast cereal or the
slice of cake or other, I don't know, the tomato sauce on your
pasta, which also contains sugar.
[Charlsie] And if you order a large size, it's got 98 grams of
sugar.
That's the equivalent of almost 25 teaspoons of sugar.
You would never put 25 teaspoons of sugar in your tea in any
drink you make.
[Charlsie] We ask McDonald's about the sugar in their vanilla
chai iced frappe and the mango smoothie, but they have no
comment.
So, an alternative, Stefania, for someone who is going to go
through the McDonald's drive thru?
So, if you like the flavour of vanilla, you could always try a
sugar-free vanilla iced coffee, which essentially, they will
sweeten with a sugar substitute.
[Charlsie] Turns out you might be getting sugar in your iced
coffee even when you don't expect it.
Could I please have a medium iced coffee?
And does that come with sugar already in it?
Ok. How much?
Does the medium iced coffee already have sugar in it?
Three pumps.
Ok.
4 pumps in a grande.
[Charlsie] At all of the chains we checked the default iced
coffees we ordered came with sugar already added, more than
two teaspoons!
When we went to the chains and ordered iced coffee at all the
places we went to, it actually came with milk and
sugar added to it already.
Oh really?
I think there is an opportunity for those companies
to change the default, to make those default options healthier,
more basic, simpler, companies do listen to their consumers.
And if you're shocked by the amount of sugar and excess
calories in the type of drink that you regularly have, then
demand better.
[Charlsie] We ask Health Canada if there's any plans to slap a
levy on sugary drinks here.
They wouldn't say.
Telling us instead they believe new labelling for sugars and
recent changes to the food guide will provide Canadians with the
information they need to reduce their sugar intake.
It's all about how we perceive a drink or perceive a food, and
how we categorize it in our minds.
I usually look at some of these sweetened drinks as dessert, so
treat them as that.
If you're usually having dessert on a Friday and a Saturday
night, then perhaps instead of a slice of cake or a brownie,
you're actually substituting it in for this drink.