IN THIS RELEASE
This publication is the fifth release of information from the nutrition component of the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS). It is intended to update the Nutrition First Results and Usual Nutrient Intakes publications using new information about the added sugar content of foods developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. It contains tables and analysis including the usual intakes of added sugars, and types of foods and beverages contributing to added sugars. It also includes comparisons with the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2015 guideline on sugars consumption which makes recommendations about the amount of energy from ‘free sugars’, which are a broader definition of added sugar that counts the sugar in fruit juice and honey. Although both added sugars and free sugars are included in the Excel table sets, the commentary focuses on free sugars for consistency with the WHO definition.
Usual intakes are modelled estimates of the amounts (or proportions) usually consumed by population groups, which is different from the actual amount reported by respondents on a given day. Analysis of usual intakes is therefore a preferred method of estimating the proportion of the population who in the long-run would consume above or below a target amount. They are also useful for estimating the amounts usually consumed by defined proportions (percentiles) of the population, such as the 75th or 90th percentiles.
Analysis of the 2011-12 NNPAS suggests that, like other nutrition surveys, there has been some under-reporting of food intake by participants in these surveys. Therefore, the quantities of sugar reported in this publication may be an underestimate of the true amounts of sugars consumed. See the AHS User's Guide for more information.
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