We eat less sugar than ever, but still too much salt and fat

Sweet tooths and sweet lovers have learned to limit themselves. Norwegians’ sugar consumption is at a historically low level, according to the Directorate of Health.

Over the course of ten years, sugar consumption has fallen by 27 per cent. The decline also continued in 2018, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s annual report on developments in the Norwegian diet. The report was submitted on Tuesday.

“Now the arrow for sugar consumption has been pointing downwards for so long that we can safely confirm a large drop in sugar consumption,” says Linda Granlund, Director for Public Health.

– We are not yet down to the recommended levels, but we have actually already reached the goal for reducing sugar in the Better Diet Action Plan for 2021, she says.

24 kilos a year
Since 2000, average consumption has dropped from 43 to 24 kilos of sugar a year.

Part of the sugar is obtained through soft drinks and other drinks such as fruit juices and energy drinks. Sugary soft drinks contributed an average of 5 kilos of sugar per person last year, the report shows. While we drink less soft drinks than before, the consumption of energy drinks is increasing.

Salt and saturated fat consumption is still too high however, health authorities warn. The main sources of fat are milk and dairy products, meat, margarine and other food fats. In recent years we have consumed less milk and butter, but instead have eaten more cheese and cream.

Twice as much salt as recommended
Despite the fact that the authorities have been working for years to reduce the salt consumption amongst Norwegians, it is still about twice as high as recommended.

On average, men consume about 10 grams per day, while the intake is somewhat lower for women. Admittedly, this is difficult to measure precisely because very many foods contain salt, and the salt content can vary widely between different brands.

– In addition, it is difficult to measure what consumers themselves add to the food, the report says.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today