Overview
- Foodwatch reports people in Germany consume nearly 26 grams of sugar per person per day from beverages, the highest among the ten most populous Western European countries.
- Austria averages about 23 grams and the Netherlands 20 grams, while Italy is lowest at 9.5 grams, with Portugal, Spain and France also on the lower end.
- The group urges the CDU ahead of its federal party conference to stop blocking a national levy, noting Schleswig‑Holstein leader Daniel Günther has announced a Bundesrat initiative for a nationwide tax.
- Following the UK’s 2018 soft‑drinks tax, beverage sugar content fell by roughly 35%, per‑capita intake is about 16 grams a day, and Fanta contains 4.5 g/100 ml in the UK versus 7.6 g/100 ml in Germany.
- Foodwatch bases its comparison on Euromonitor estimates that combine product sales with recipe data, warning that ‘liquid sugar’ harms health and strains public finances.