If you are a chocolate lover, you may want to look away now. New research showing how much sugar is in Easter eggs makes for some unpleasant reading.
Safefood – which promotes awareness of food safety and nutrition issues – recently carried out a report on some of Ireland’s most popular Easter eggs to chart how much sugar each one contained.
Recommended daily intakes of sugar vary, but, generally, adults are advised by health organisations not to exceed 8-10 teaspoons (about 30-40 grams) per day. For children, the recommended maximum levels are much lower, of course – at around 5 teaspoons (20 grams) or less, depending on age.
Last year, a poll of parents found Irish children eat an average of four eggs each over the Easter period, with one in five managing six eggs or more.
One Easter egg examined for the Safefood report contained 73 teaspoons of sugar.
There were four categories in the survey – small eggs or treats (under 100g), medium (100-199g), large (200-299g) and extra large eggs (over 300g).
In the first category, it found that the popular Cadbury Crème Egg contains seven teaspoons of sugar, while, at the other end of the scale, the Cadbury’s XL Dairy Milk Giant Egg had 73 teaspoons of sugar.
Perhaps best to share.
