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Action On Sugar supporters are campaigning for food producers to cut sugar in their products oranges-world.com

Doctors warned the effects of consuming large amounts of sugar on a person's health is becoming as dangerous as alcohol or tobacco.

Obesity experts have called for a 30% cut to the sugar content in processed foods, including cereals, ready meals and soft drinks.

The cut will have a prominent affect on the obesity crisis, as a 20 or 30% reduction in sugar would reduce calorie intake by 100kcal.

A group of health experts, academics and doctors will meet today for the Action On Sugar scheme, which will call on producers to reduce the amount of sugar in their food products.

The campaign has been organised by the Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH). Since the 1980s and 1990s, the group has been fighting for a reduction in salt intake.

Action On Sugar has also asked to stop advertising food and drink with a high sugar content to children, stating it is "alcohol for childhood".

The campaign is hoping to have a significant impact on the obesity epidemic and assist in tackling Type 2 Diabetes in the UK.

Graham MacGregor, chairman of Action On Sugar, said: "We must now tackle the obesity epidemic both in the UK and worldwide."

While an unsurprisingly high sugar content can be found in a 330ml can of Coca Cola, which contains around 9 teaspoons, it also crops up in a number of foods thought to be healthier.

A 500ml bottle of Revive Fruit Punch Glaceau Vitamin Water, a privately-owned subsidiary of Coca Cola, contains 15g of sugar.

Breakfast cereals often harbour a large amount of sugar, with a 40g serving of Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Cornflake cereal containing approximately 13.6g.

Obesity