According to a report by the firm, half of women (49%) and three fifths of men (64%) wrongly guessed or simply stated they didn’t know what their recommended daily calorie intake should be.
The National Health Service (NHS) states an average man needs around 2,500 calories a day to maintain his weight and an average woman should consume around 2,000 calories a day.
Did not track calorie intake
The survey also found the vast majority of British residents (94%) did not regularly track their calorie intake.
Dr Julian Cooper, head of food science at AB Sugar, said: “It’s clear from our research that it’s not just a lack of understanding about calorie consumption and expenditure that is causing a problem, but confusion about the different food groups, their role in our diet and how to balance it all.”
The research, which polled 2,000 British people, also revealed that over a third of people (35%) did not know that fish, chicken and eggs were good sources of protein; 28% didn’t know rice, bread and pasta were high in carbohydrates; and over a quarter (28%) did not know that cream, oil and butter were high in fat.
“It’s therefore crucial that we all start working together to get on top of the points of confusion and to provide consumers with the facts and science needed to help them confidently make informed decisions about their own lifestyle choices,” Cooper added.
Over-consumption of calories and a lack of energy was one of the major factors in rising obesity levels, Cooper claimed.
Only a tenth of survey respondents stated they played sport regularly, despite the NHS recommending at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening activities per week.
Fighting an uphill battle
Cooper said: “There’s no denying that the country is currently fighting an uphill battle against obesity but, as our research suggests, consumers are completely overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive about what to put into their bodies.”
Meanwhile, a poll carried out for BBC 5Live’s Richard Bacon programme revealed 73% of those asked would support fixed limits on the amount of sugar allowed in certain foods.
Cooper said although he was supportive of reformulating products to reduce the total calorie content, this was not a straightforward process.
“Introducing fixed limits on the amount of sugar allowed in certain foods is not a straight forward proposition,” he claimed. “Sugars occur naturally in a lot of different types of food and drink. Limiting the amount of sugars could lead to, for example, having to reduce the number of tomatoes in a tomato pasta sauce, where over 90% of the sugars come from tomatoes.”
When sugar is removed, fat becomes a higher proportion of the product per 100g as sugar is four calories per gram, as opposed to fat at nine calories per gram – therefore reformulation could actually result in an increase in calories, Cooper added.
The Food Manufacture Group, in association with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST), is staging a free, one-hour webinar at 11am on Thursday July 3, dedicated to separating the myths from the realities about sugar and Britain’s national obesity crisis.
To reserve your free place at the online seminar, which will feature contributions from prominent industry experts. More details of this event will follow later this month.