Leader comment: Sour taste of sugar buzz

Scotland eats an obscene amount of sugar. You only need to look around our shops to see the prevalence of cheap deals on soft drinks, chocolate, biscuits and other desserts to realise we are addicted.

Scots buy items containing a total of 110 tonnes of sugar every day.

Cancer Research UK has now calculated that we buy items containing 110 tonnes of sugar every day. Much of this is cultural; much of it is hidden in our food too. The truth is Scots do have a sweet tooth. But the true cost of our addiction to sugar is evident all around us.

Obesity is on the rise. Rates of diabetes are going up. Cancers have been linked to sugar consumption. And our dental health records are hardly world leading.

The major problem is that we are failing to tackle this. In fact, it’s getting worse. Our supermarkets in particular appear to put sales ahead of health concerns.

When was the last time you saw a 2-for-1 offer on broccoli? Or courgettes? Yet, browse the biscuit aisle and you will see offers aplenty. Soft drinks, cakes and pastries are always reduced. Action is now required by government to curb promotions which are harming the health of adults and children.