Cola, Rivella and Co. are committed to voluntary sugar reduction

First, the sugar in yogurt and muesli got the upper hand. The federal government is now targeting cottage cheese, sweet drinks and chocolate milk. All these products should contain less sugar in the future. All retailers and beverage companies that have signed the Milan Declaration are committed to this. Where Coop, Migros, Emmi, Nestlé and other companies had already committed themselves to voluntary sugar reduction in their products in 2015, ten other companies followed suit on Tuesday. Including Rivella, Coca-Cola, Ramseier and Volg.

In consultation with the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Service (FSVO), they have set themselves the goal of reducing the sugar content in their products by ten percent by the end of 2024. The starting point is the year 2021. The federal government sees a “considerable leverage”, especially in the field of drinks, it writes in a statement. Surveys are said to show “that 38 percent of the added sugars in our diet come from beverages.”

The Swiss population currently consumes about 100 grams of sugar per day, about twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organization. Too much of this added sugar makes you sick, according to the BLV: “It can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes, among other things.” These diseases are now the most common cause of death in Switzerland.

The signing by the ten new companies was preceded by several meetings between the federal government and the food producers. The BLV pressed early on and is said to have suggested that the introduction of a sugar tax be explored if the companies involved did not sign the agreement. However, that is not happening now, as all major beverage producers have voluntarily agreed to the reduction target.

The planned 10 percent sugar reduction will be measured across all beverages. This means that a bottle of cola can still contain 53 grams of sugar if the manufacturer – in this case Coca-Cola Switzerland – introduces less heavily sweetened drinks in return, which correct the average sugar content of the drinks downwards. At the end of 2024, the federal government will review the target across all signatory companies: if one company saves more than agreed, another may also fall under the 10 percent target. The following applies: the reduced sugar may not be replaced by sweeteners.

However, the federal government and industry failed to reach an agreement on salt. Here, too, the consumption of the population is well above the recommendations of the World Health Organization. The FSVO has therefore submitted a proposal to the food industry with specific salt reduction targets for soups and salad dressings. But the affected companies – including the Unilever brand Knorr – want nothing to do with it. For this reason, “regulatory measures to reduce salt content in certain products will now be explored,” the BLV writes.

Also in the field of sugar, politicians see no need for action at the moment. The Council of States has already rejected a similar initiative by the Canton of Geneva. This requires the federal government to “strictly limit” the amount of added sugar in food production and introduce a tax on “too many sugary products.” The National Council will decide on the proposal at the end of February. He shouldn’t follow her either. (aargauerzeitung.ch)