Excessive sugar content in beverages, especially lemonade, Coca-Cola, energy drinks, etc., is not a new problem, but decisive legislative changes are not being implemented, DW reports.

A new market analysis published on Wednesday by consumer watchdog Foodwatch shows that 117 (86 percent) of 136 drinks tested contained sugar above the recommended limit of 5 grams per 100 milliliters.

And more than half contain even more sugar: 8 grams per 100 milliliters. This means that one glass of lemonade contains an average of six and a half pieces of sugar, which is too much for a healthy diet.

For the respective study, drinks were purchased from five major German supermarkets in child-friendly packaging with colorful pictures of animals and cartoon characters.

The alarming figures presented by Foodwatch are intended to be a signal to politicians to adopt long-awaited legislative changes to protect the health of the nation.

According to Foodwatch, just one container or packet of some foods can be enough to exceed the maximum amount of sugar set by the German infant nutrition association of 25 grams per day. Needless to say, exceeding the norm is a major health risk factor. Consequences can include serious diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. An alternative to overly sweet store-bought drinks is a homemade drink with lemon, mint, or berries.

Consumer advocates, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), have long called for drastic measures to remedy the situation; a problem that exists around the world. One of them could be a tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks and energy drinks.

In particular, there are calls not only to introduce a "sugar tax," but to make the rate high enough to force manufacturers to radically change their product recipes and thus limit excessive sugar consumption, mainly by children. The WHO recommends prescribing at least 20 percent. Many European countries have already followed this recommendation, but the results are not clear. The model created in the UK seems to be the best.

In addition to the introduction of the tax, it is also proposed to set effective advertising restrictions on harmful products and to set an age limit for the sale of energy drinks. In addition, experts say Germany should continue to implement its 2018 national strategy, in which several industries voluntarily committed to reducing added sugar, salt, and fat in food by 2025.

Meanwhile, many food associations oppose the soft drink tax and argue that obesity and other illnesses are not just food-related, but have broader causes.

The number of people suffering from obesity and diabetes is increasing in the world. Almost every fifth person in Germany has these illnesses. And about half of the adult population weighs a few kilograms more than normal. More than seven percent of Germans suffer from diabetes. Scientists believe that these illnesses are mainly caused by excessive consumption of sugar.