An Observational Study of the Energy and Sugar Content of Drinks and Snacks Available in UK Coffee Shops and Cafés

Objective: To examine the proportion of drinks and snacks offered by the largest coffee shop chains in the UK that exceed the NHS and Public Health England maximum recommended intakes for energy and sugar. Design: Observational study design where nutritional information for drinks and snacks was gathered from the official coffee shop chain website. Data were compared with the maximum recommended intakes of 200 kcal per drink or snack and 30 g of free sugar per day. Direct comparisons between mean values were performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Subjects: A total of 2707 drinks and 434 snacks across eight leading coffee shop chains in the United Kingdom. Results: Overall, 47.0% of drinks and 66.8% of snacks exceed the recommended energy intake, while 32.5% of drinks and 45.3% of snacks surpass the recommended daily free sugar intake. ‘Hot chocolates and other speciality drinks’ contain the most energy (255.6 ± 5.78 kcal) of all drink categories. Snacks contain significantly more energy than drinks (p < 0.001), with all three snack categories exceeding the recommended intake of energy. Variations in nutritional content were observed in dairy-alternative milk options and specific chains. Conclusions: The high energy and sugar content of drinks and snacks in major UK coffee chains may contribute to excessive energy intake, with almost half of all drinks and snacks exceeding the maximum recommended levels. Healthier choices, such as avoiding flavoured drinks or limiting the consumption of snacks, may be necessary to help mitigate weight gain and combat obesity and T2DM rates in the UK.