Sugar in the Media - Research

Sugar is a highly talked about issue in the media, after documentaries such as the My Sugar Film, there is a high interest among the population on sugar and whether we should or should not be consuming it. This shows there is a market and high interest in the topic, which means the population are open to change and ready for a positive change in their wellbeing.

There is also talk of introducing a NZ sugar tax which shows the government is considering change in the sugar industry – which would be helpful in the battle against sugar. 

The current articles are often targeted towards adults or parents, and often appear un-interesting for young adults or are contained on websites that very few young adults visit.

While the articles do explain the negative effects of sugar, there is often little information on a solution, this is confusing for users as they want to make a difference but are unsure what the next step is.

These articles have all been released this year, showing the sheer number of articles, opinions and facts being presented to people on the issue through the media. 

 This screenshot of articles from stuff.co.nz are a small portion of the articles addressing sugar that have been written in 2015.

This article explains the negative side effects of sugar, while most we were aware of and are obvious, we found the idea of sugar and emotion an interesting avenue to explore as often sugar is portrayed as a "treat" instead of a negative food group. There is a strong emotional attachment between sugar, nutrition, emotion and general wellbeing.