How Much Sugar Is in a Can of Pop?

Let’s talk about soft drinks, those bubbly little cans of joy that have wormed their way into our daily lives. Whether it’s a can of cola with lunch or a bottle of lemonade to fend off the merciless glare of the sun, sugary drinks have become the background noise of modern existence. But while we all vaguely understand that guzzling liquid sugar probably isn’t doing our bodies any favours, the sheer amount of the stuff crammed into a single can might just knock you off your chair. (Or at least make you reconsider your life choices.)

And if you’re thinking, "Ah, but I drink the diet version!”, well, congratulations, in response to growing panic about sugar's role in everything from weight gain to existential dread, brands have embraced artificial sweeteners with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for the latest iPhone launch. But don’t breathe easy just yet, those little chemical miracles have their own baggage, and not the stylish kind.

How Much Sugar Is in a Typical Can of Pop?

The short answer: more than you’d reasonably expect unless you routinely measure sugar in heaps.

Soft drinks have long been the sugary villains of modern diets, and even the so-called "lighter" options can sneak in more of the sweet stuff than you’d think. Let’s break it down:

• Average can of ‘cola’ – Around 35g of sugar depending on the brand (that’s about 9 teaspoons). For context, that’s more sugar than you’d find in a typical chocolate bar, and nearly 20% more than the NHS’s recommended daily limit for adults. Lovely. 

• Energy drinks – Some brands manage to cram in up to 55g of sugar in a single can. That’s nearly double your recommended daily limit in one go, and that’s before you even consider the jittery existential crisis that comes free with every sip. (Sorry, energy drink fans, but honestly, how do you drink that stuff?)

Recommended Daily Sugar Intake

Consuming excessive amounts of sugar, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages, has been linked to numerous health issues, including weight gain, dental problems, and mental health concerns.

According to the NHS, the recommended daily limit for free sugars (the kind added to drinks and processed foods) is no more than 30g of free sugars per day (around 7 teaspoons) for adults. That means one can of pop almost maxes it out! And that’s before you’ve even considered the sugar lurking in your morning cereal or that "just one" biscuit you swear isn’t going to turn into two… or three, four, five.

Faced with growing panic about sugar’s role in everything from unhealthiness to general moral decay, many soft drink brands have turned to artificial sweeteners as a clever workaround. Zero calories, the same sweet taste, and no sugar crash, what’s not to love? Well, as it turns out, quite a lot. Artificial sweeteners come with their own baggage, and not the stylish kind. Think more "suspicious airport luggage" than "designer handbag."

Common Artificial Sweeteners Used in Soft Drinks

Artificial sweeteners might seem like a cheat code, but the fine print isn’t looking great. The clever folks at Harvard have been busy investigating sugar substitutes , and the news isn’t exactly sweet. More research is needed, but for now, maybe listen to the ancient Greek philosophers who (when they weren’t inventing democracy or arguing about the meaning of life) wisely agreed, ‘All things in moderation.’

Why Natural Sugar Drinks Are a Better Option

If sugary drinks are public enemy number one and artificial sweeteners are starting to sound like a science experiment gone rogue, where does that leave us? That’s where our Tropical Peach Soda comes in, the refreshingly balanced solution that gives you the sweet satisfaction you crave without the sugar-induced regret.

Now, in full honesty, we’re very biased here. We think that the soda we make is 11/10 knock-your-socks-off levels of fantastic. That’s partly because we put so much time and effort into making sure that all of us at Hip Pop HQ think the recipe is absolutely delicious, but mostly because loads of people have told us that they can’t get enough of our tasty flavours. 

The Hip Pop Difference – Real Flavour Needs Real Ingredients

We’re talking about real ingredients here, actual peach and mango juices, not some mysterious “fruit flavouring” dreamed up in a lab. The sweetness comes naturally, with just 4g of sugar per can. That’s less than a teaspoon and means you could drink a can of our pop, have a small chocolate bar – and still have less sugar than your typical can of cola.

In other words, you get all the flavour and none of the sugar-fuelled rollercoaster that leaves you wide-eyed and regretting your life choices an hour later.

Our Tropical Peach Soda proves that you don’t need to sacrifice taste for health, you can actually have both. And honestly, isn’t that the dream?

But it’s not just about keeping sugar low, it’s about adding benefits. Each can of Tropical Peach contains apple cider vinegar and live cultures; it’s friendly to both your tastebuds and your body. Plus, you’ll get a quarter of your daily prebiotic fibre in each can, helping to feed those beneficial gut microbes.

The secret to our flavour? We make everything using 100% natural ingredients. No artificial sweeteners, no stevia, no nasty aftertaste, just proper pop and real ingredients. And because it’s naturally low in sugar and packed with real fruit, you get the refreshing fizz and complex flavour of a grown-up drink, without the sugar overload or weird artificial sweetness.

That’s why it tastes real good.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to soft drinks, sugar-loaded options are clearly bad news, and artificial sweeteners aren’t exactly the solution either. That’s why we created Hip Pop’s Living Sodas: naturally sweetened, low in sugar, and made with real ingredients that taste as good as they feel.

Our Tropical Peach Living Soda is proof that you don’t need to overload on sugar or fake it with sweeteners to make a drink taste amazing. Just 4g of sugar, real fruit juice, live cultures, and a proper flavour, it’s a smarter, tastier way to fizz.

So, next time you reach for a drink, skip the sugar bomb and the artificial nonsense. Get Real with a can of Hip Pop.