Action on Sugar is a charity that consists of a group of specialists that research sugar's effects on health. They have just released some rather shocking data, which reveals that many hot flavoured drinks from well-known companies such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee and KFC contain large amounts of added sugar. For example, one of Starbucks' Hot Mulled Fruits contained 25 teaspoons of sugar per serving compared to a can of (unhealthy) Coke with only 9 teaspoons per can.

With an estimated 1.7 billion cups of coffee sold each year in the UK from over 18,000 outlets and one in five of the population (including teenagers) visiting a coffee shop daily, campaign group Action on Sugar is today warning of the dangerously high sugar content of certain hot beverages found in many high street coffee shop chains.

This new research by Action on Sugar shows that 98% of the 131 hot flavoured drinks analysed would receive a 'red' (high) label for excessive levels of sugars per serving as sold.

What's more, 35% of the hot flavoured drinks contain the same amount or more sugars than Coca Cola, which contains a massive 9 teaspoons of sugar per can – equivalent to 7 chocolate biscuits.

The worst offender is the Starbuck's Hot Mulled Fruit - Grape with Chai, Orange and Cinnamon Venti (extra-large) – a mix of chai and fruit concentrate, topped with a cinnamon stick and a slice of orange – which contains 25 teaspoons of sugar (that's the equivalent of sugar in 5 muffins), followed by Costa Coffee's Chai Latte (large) with a massive 20 teaspoons of sugar. Interestingly, a Starbuck's Hot Mulled Fruit - Grape with Chai, Orange and Cinnamon Tall (medium) has almost half the amount of sugar than the larger sized cup (13 vs 25 tsp).

Featured image: Cropped vintage ad for Domino's Pure Cane Sugar from 1955. Via Keg Foam.