TempoLife › Features › Teacher and school pack › sugar-in-drinks-experiment
How much sugar is in that drink?
Students use real drink labels to calculate the sugar in a serving and convert it to teaspoons (4 g each), turning an abstract "22 g" into something they can picture. A maths-and-measures task, framed around understanding labels rather than banning drinks.
Learning objectives
By the end of the activity, students can:
- Read the "sugars" value off a drink label (per 100 ml).
- Scale it to the real volume of the container.
- Convert grams of sugar to teaspoons using 4 g per teaspoon.
- Compare several drinks and rank them by sugar per serving.
The activity
- Prep: ask students to bring an empty, rinsed drink bottle or carton with a label, or provide a set. A teaspoon of sugar and a set of scales makes a striking optional demo (4 g per level teaspoon).
- Input (10 min): show how to read sugars per 100 ml, scale to the bottle volume, and divide by 4 to get teaspoons.
- Task (25 min): students complete the table for their drinks and answer the questions.
- Plenary (15 min): rank the class's drinks; weigh out the teaspoons for the highest one as a visual.
The worksheet
This prints as a clean sheet — press print and the site header, footer and this instruction row drop away. Photocopy for a class as needed.
For each drink, read the "sugars" figure per 100 ml from the label, work out the total in the whole container, then convert to teaspoons. One teaspoon of sugar is about 4 g.
Worked example (invented figures)
A 500 ml drink says 11 g sugars per 100 ml. Total sugar = 11 × (500 ÷ 100) = 55 g. Teaspoons = 55 ÷ 4 ≈ 14 teaspoons.
| Drink | Sugars per 100 ml (g) | Volume (ml) | Total sugar (g) | Teaspoons (÷4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Which of your drinks had the most sugar per serving? How many teaspoons?
2. Two drinks had the same sugar per 100 ml but different totals. Explain why.
3. A "no added sugar" fruit juice can still be high in sugar. Where does that sugar come from?
4. Why is per-serving sometimes more useful than per-100 ml when thinking about a whole bottle?
Answer key
- 1. Answers vary; the calculation is total sugar ÷ 4.
- 2. Because total sugar depends on the volume as well: the bigger container has more, even at the same concentration.
- 3. From the fruit itself — juice is naturally high in sugar even when none is added.
- 4. Because you usually drink the whole container, so per-serving shows what you actually consume, not just the concentration.
Teacher notes
- This is a maths-and-labels exercise, not a campaign against particular drinks or a lesson about weight. Keep it curious and quantitative; avoid shaming anyone's choices.
- The teaspoon conversion is the memorable part — the optional weighing demo makes "55 g" concrete far better than the number does.
- Extension for maths: express sugar as a percentage of the drink, or compare cost per teaspoon of sugar. Cross-links to data handling and ratio.
A teaching resource, not medical or dietary advice. Handle food, sleep, sugar and energy topics sensitively with young people, and follow your school's pastoral and safeguarding procedures if a pupil raises a concern.
Frequently asked questions
What level is this for?
Suits lower-secondary science or maths (data and measures).
Can I print and photocopy it?
Yes — press print (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) and the site chrome disappears, leaving the worksheet. It is free for classroom use.
Is there an answer key?
Yes, at the foot of this page. Decide whether to project, hide or hand it out.
Source: Standard public guidance (EFSA reference values, EU labelling rules, Atwater energy factors) and simple arithmetic · checked 2026-09-02
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