'Some People Don't Realise How Much Sugar There Is In Coca-Cola,' - Company's President

The European president of Coca-Cola has admitted that some customers 'don't realise' how much sugar is in the company's drinks. Speaking on Newsnight, James Quincey also conceded that 'things need to change' and servings had to reduce in size. The admission came after Jeremy Paxman took him to task on the size of servings available in cinemas - some of which contain a staggering 44 teaspoons of sugar. When asked by Mr Paxman what good Coca-Cola did its consumers, Mr Quincey said: 'It does have some sugar in it... it has energy, but is it a necessity? No it's not. But millions of people enjoy it as part of their diet across the UK.' Mr Quincey also pointed put that a regular can of the drink - which contains 35g or six teaspoons of sugar - was similar in calories to 'a cappuccino or a half a croissant'. He stressed that the company was working hard to promote the calorie and sugar content of its products so that consumers could make informed choices. But when asked by Mr Paxman if he thought people had any idea how much sugar is in small and large servings of Coke at the cinema, he was forced to reply: 'I think maybe they don't'. He conceded: 'Things need to change and the bigger cups need to come down,' he said. A 'small' cinema serving is said to contain a 23 teaspoons on sugar, while a large contains 44 - 'each to be consumed in a single sitting,' Mr Paxman added. UK guidelines recommend that �added� sugars - those used to sweeten food, fizzy drinks, honeys, syrups and fruit juices - shouldn�t make up more than 10 per cent of the total energy we get from food. This is around 50g of sugar a day, equivalent to 10 cubes of sugar for adults and older children, and nine for five to ten-year-olds. But just one 500ml bottle of Coke will send you over this limit, with 10.5 cubes.