AIBU to be hacked off with manufacturers tampering with our food?

[recklessgran]

Is it just me who is fed up with the changes being made to our food in the name of averting the obesity crisis?
Just opened a packet of Nice biscuits to find that they have NO sugar sprinkled on them anymore. That is the last straw!
Can't find ricicles either - apparently withdrawn due to sugar content.
I am not obese and think I am grown up and informed enough to make my own decisions about the food I eat thank you government. In fact, we eat very healthily but like the occasional treat....
Don't believe I'm the only one that feels this way - looking at you Robinsons for withdrawing normal squash - now all sugar free and full of chemical sweeteners.
Just needed a little rant as am outraged at not being allowed to decide for myself.

It is hard to find eg fizzy drinks without sweeteners. I used to trust 7Up and Sprite but they've gone to the dark side now. My local Sainsburys seems to have hidden the San Pellegrino, my last resort, in an obscure place too. Its a conspiracy!

I really don't whether artificial sweeteners are safe, but the fact is that they taste disgusting and I don't want them.

I hardly ever drink fizzy pop but when I do, I want it to be full sugar and agree that it's getting harder and harder to find pop without sweetners in. Also tonic for my gin - obviously Schweppes is out, but Waitrose Essential and Fever Tree are currently OK.

The problem is that people have been conditioned to drink sweet drinks and see plain water is inferior, so instead of cutting down on sugary drinks, which is what people should be doing - if they are drinking so much that it is making them gain weight, this should be the first step, not making drinks full of disgusting tasting shitely artificial sweeteners.

But that wouldn't suit big business either - they want people to consume their products by the gallon daily, instead of an occasional treat.

Fluff Get an old fashioned metal soda syphon. I got mine off Amazon and it and the gas bulbs save me a fortune. Also the used bulbs can go in the recycling so there's no waste.

Artificial sweeteners are amongst some of the most studied compounds chemistry has ever made and they are shown to be overwhelmingly safe - I see the usual rubbish is already being spouted about them

They certainly aren’t safe for people with bowel conditions! I have a really bad reaction to them. I only had to have two Halls soother throat sweets to end up spending quite some time in the loo....at least I didn’t end up on a drip that time....but doctor subsequently confirmed that I shouldn’t use them either......

What the government should be doing, IMO, is making it easier for us to get more exercise and cheaper healthier food.

We work long hours, in shit paid jobs and the last thing people want to do is cook from scratch. Instead most of us sit down, crack open the wine and stick the tv in while eating crap.

Yes when try and cook but most of us don’t have time to do it regularly or time to exercise.

And yes, there’s exceptions with the lentil eating, kettle bell waving brigade (I am one of these occasionally).

I’m seriously thinking about becoming a SAHM for a period because I’ll waste less food, cook from scratch more and have more time to exercise! Instead I am out of the house 7.30-6pm 4 days a week and tired by the weekend.

I agree with you OP but what's even worse is that they now contain palm oil so they are on my banned list

Anyone else old enough to remember how this happened in the 90's with butter/fats and the supposedly "healthier" fake fats were used to replace in products THEN we found these fake fats were carcinogenic and not that much healthier in terms of heart health, stroke etc?

I was doing my nurse training at the time and in my community nursing rotation I ended up chatting with a dietician. This was before the dangers of trans fats were known and she said that every so often this happens but in her opinion and with her professional knowledge and experience she though artificial anything was dodgy, that the far better thing was to keep diets as natural as possible but limit less healthy foods. Sweeteners were starting to become more popular at this point too and she said that she told her diabetic patients to avoid them she felt fake sugar would mess with their systems.

Turns out she was right. There's more and more research coming out about the damage sweeteners do.

I don't think putting artificial sweeteners/fat subs in food is the answer. Education and support for those who are overweight would be far better.

Iirc when lucozade messed with their recipe that caused problems for diabetics who often use it as a go to when they NEED to increase their sugar levels in an urgent way.

In addition weight is FAR more complex than just what you eat. I'm overweight having been very slim when younger.

I think I'm overweight for a lot of reasons inc I'm on medication that messes with metabolism. But also psychological reasons.

Not because there's X amount of sugar in y brand of biscuits.

On a lighter note I get annoyed at the lack of seasoning in many foods now, I know salt is something else that has health implications but honestly the lack in some products just makes them taste awful! And I just end up adding salt myself (but with some products this isn't possible or adding salt to a cooked product doesn't taste quite the same as if salt had been used properly when it was being cooked)

Dd doesn't like artificial sweeteners (they give her a headache) so tries to avoid as far as possible (getting very hard to do) so has full sugar versions - she is very slim and healthy, but then she doesn't have a lot of sweet stuff and isn't keen on junk food.

And when the government tries to do stuff that works (the sugar tax is emulating the successful salt reduction campaign), you get posters like this complaining that the government is interfering. Food in this country (yes, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains) is cheaper and more accessible than it has ever been. Lack of personal responsibility plays a large part, but I do think we live in an environment that’s more obesogenic than most EU countries. Just look at what a petrol station in the Uk sells versus one in France...

Surely if you have a bowel condition, you are on the lookout for artificial sweeteners in the same way someone with an allergy is aware too? Although I appreciate unexpected changes to food ingredients is not on.

I completely agree. I can't stomach any artificial sweeteners as they give me a headache and I feel sick. I therefore can no longer have an occasional glass of squash or even an occasional can of regular coke.

Nice with no sugar is wrong.

I've noticed the reduction of salt in bread . I am adding salt where I never used to.

I object to artificial sweeteners not being prominently labelled , particularly when formulations of old products are changed.

What the government should be doing, IMO, is making it easier for us to get more exercise and cheaper healthier food.

How can you government make exercise easier? All you have to do is literally get off your bum and move. How can the government be responsible for that?

And healthy food is cheap. I go to a local multicultural shop for vegetables, and I can get everything I need for the week for less than £5. With ‘Super Six’ in supermarkets and cheap tinned tomatoes, or dry beans and lentils it’s very easy to cook healthily and cheaply.

It is correct that companies are fined if there’s too much sugar in their products - so either prices will need to raise or they need to take some of the sugar out.

"Surely if you have a bowel condition, you are on the lookout for artificial sweeteners in the same way someone with an allergy is aware too?"

Except common allergens are clearly marked, and because they're common allergens they're not used in loads of products. Sweeteners are in almost bloody everything now even savoury food products.

It's also very bloody hard to know WHICH sweetener is in a product as often it just says "no sugar added" in big letters and you have to analyse sodding tiny writing to see which one is actually in the ingredients.

I don't suffer as some do inc dd but saccharin gives me bloody awful heartburn so I try to avoid but have been caught out more than a few times and it's even more annoying when you think you've checked the ingredients and it turns out there are 2 or more DIFFERENT sweeteners in a product (WHY??)

A sugar tax would be fine, I'd happily pay more so there was a product I could eat/drink, the issue is manufacturers adding sweetener so they can use less sugar. It doesn't tend to catch me out as I check labels all the time as i'm coeliac it's just annoying.

I've noticed the reduction of salt in bread . I am adding salt where I never used to.

Which again, just goes to show that there is far too much salt in things to begin with if you need to replace it. Adults shouldn’t be eating more than 6g of salt a day - there is 1.2g in half a tin of beans! 20% of your daily allowance in a side dish for one meal. That’s ridiculous and just not necessary.

Recklessgran:

I fully agree with you. I also have my theory that alot of health problems like memory problems/muscle and stomach problems are alot to do with these new sweetners. Now Lucozade and Irn Bru... if they want to reduce suger fine but put that solution into another bottle and leave the other alone! Its most definately a conspiracy! Why take suger out of an energy drink?
Btw I work in the NHS and just over eating in general will gain weight not just stuffing your face with cakes!

"Surely if you have a bowel condition, you are on the lookout for artificial sweeteners in the same way someone with an allergy is aware too?"

Of course but it is getting more and more difficult.

I went to a pub for lunch with a friend recently. She is gluten intolerant and told them that....they came out with a gluten free menu and she had a good variety to choose from. I was driving so wanted a soft drink....the only thing they had without artificial sweeteners in was pure juice (again not great for someone with a bowel condition) or water.... I had water!

I was out last night and fancied a g&t but the only tonic available was Schweppes.... I had to have a wine instead so no big deal BUT still frustrating!

Btw I work in the NHS and just over eating in general will gain weight not just stuffing your face with cakes!

Working in the NHS, I assume you realise that the fight against sugar isn’t purely about obesity, but also diabetes and heart disease?

And it’s a lot easier to become obese by stuffing your face with cakes than it is with carrot sticks.

Salt however is a different matter. I hardly ever use salt at home and find a lot of food that I eat out is far too salty. Watch Saint Jamie Oliver, one of the biggest supporters of the ‘no added sugar(replace with chemicals)’ movement, when he is cooking he adds HUGE amounts of salt to EVERYTHING!

Also, if a product is ‘reduced salt’ at least the salt isn’t replaced with a chemical.

I don't mind adding salt. Just pointing out that levels in bread may change but it doesn't mean salt won't be added back.

It doesn't really show there was no call for salt in a bland food..

And if toast and butter is made very bland people might be more inclined to eat a more tasty bag of crisps.. unintended consequences.

Salt is not poison. I mostly unsalted food, no ready meals, rarely eat factory made salted snacks. Salt in my bread and potatoes is unlikely to be harming me.

I accept that cheap staples are the easiest path to affect mass intakes: adding folic acid to bread seems a no brainer

Artificial sweeteners aren't recommended for diabetics either it messes with cellular responses, plus diabetics getting diarrhoea from sweeteners that have laxative effects is also problematic.

It is not just obesity than too much sugar in our diet risks. Diabetes and serious tooth decay are other very serious health risks.

LiltingLeaf

Please state type 2 diabetes when linking too much sugar. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by too much sugar. It's important to differentiate between the two.
In fact the sugar tax is a right pain in the backside for type 1 diabetics as the change in the Lucozade formula (a go to treatment for low blood sugar episodes) means it's now harder to treat a hypo.

As you were.

Just opened a packet of Nice biscuits to find that they have NO sugar sprinkled on them anymore WHAT?! You’ve just ruined my morning telling me that! ☹️

I’m vegan and my body can’t cope with milk. I have to check everything I buy, because the ingredients are often changed and milk added. Fuck off with your new improved recipe!

And don't get me started on Jamie Oliver. Another one who can't tell the difference between Type 1 and type 2 diabetes despite knowing everything there is to know. Apparently.

I have a heart condition that means I have to eat a lot more salt than the recommended amount (my cardio suggested at minimum 20g a day) to stop myself from regularly blacking out. This means I hate the current penchant for removing salt from everything! I end up adding salt by the spoonful to my meals.

Why can't reduced sugar be just that? Less sugar so tastes a little less sweet. Not replaced with chemicals with a nasty aftertaste.