Sugar. We have always known it’s not great for us, which is why no person in their right mind thinks it is a good idea to wake up and eat a packet of Skittles for breakfast.

But now the campaign against sugar is in full throttle and there doesn’t appear to be many food stuffs safe from the anti-sugar crusaders. Apart from the obvious foods like lollies, chocolate and cakes, the sugar phobia is taking shape against white bread, cereal and sauces.

Last week we polled Australian Main Grocery Buyers and asked what supermarket products they were buying more of and what are you buying less of. Unsurprisingly sugar and sugar-laden products were at the top of the buying less list.

Why is this shift occurring? The change in buyer behaviour has a lot to do with an increased concern for health and wellbeing, as well as the ‘clean’ eating movement. Aussies are reaching more often for natural, less processed options in the supermarket aisle. In fact, the top two reasons for buying less of certain items were health and diet.

There have been calls for the government to intervene to regulate excess sugar consumption that have been compared to the anti-smoking movement, and just like Big Tobacco, Big Sugar could be the next big public health campaign.

The war against sugar is hard to argue with, especially when 3 out of 4 adults in Australian are overweight or obese and these rates are climbing faster than anywhere else in the world.

TOP 10 SUPERMARKET ITEMS AUSSIES ARE BUYING LESS OF

1. Soft Drinks

2. White Bread

3. Sugar

4. Dips

5. Chips

6. Chocolate Biscuits

7. Canned Soups

8. Canned Fruit

9. Cream Cheese 

10. Confectionery

Contrast the above list to the list below, explaining what we’re buying more of, and it seems as though Australia is on a nation wide healthkick!

TOP 10 SUPERMARKET ITEMS AUSSIES ARE BUYING MORE OF

1.Bananas

2.Yoghurt

3.Apples

4.Nuts

5.Eggs

6.Chicken

7.Oats

8.Mushrooms

9. Avocados

10. Berries

So where do we go from here?  While there is pressure on the government to regulate food manufacturers we need to take it upon ourselves to be educated, check labels and avoid products with high levels of added sugar.

At the end of the day, it’s the old adage…..everything in moderation.   Cut out the sweet stuff altogether and you may find yourself devouring those skittles for breakfast in frustration.  Cold turkey may work well for some but I’ll be treating sugar as exactly that, a treat, to be enjoyed every now and then and not every day – although weekends don’t count right?