Kids in Britain consume 18 years’ worth of sugar by the time they reach their 10th birthdays, health chiefs said on Wednesday in a report.
Public Health England (PHE) released the shock figure as it launched a new Change4Life campaign on Wednesday to support families cut back on sugar and to help tackle growing rates of childhood obesity.
PHE said while children’s sugar intakes have declined slightly in recent years, kids are still consuming around eight excess sugar cubes each day, equivalent to about 2,800 excess sugar cubes per year.
Change4Life is encouraging parents to make simple everyday swaps to reduce children’s sugar intake by half from some products such as yoghurts, drinks and breakfast cereals, while giving them healthier versions of the foods and drinks they enjoy.
Making the swaps every day could remove around 2,500 sugar cubes a year from a child’s diet.
According to Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, children are consuming too much sugar, but parents can take action now to prevent this building up over the years.
“To make this easier for busy families, Change4Life is offering a straightforward solution, by making simple swaps each day.
“Children can have healthier versions of everyday foods and drinks, while significantly reducing their sugar intake,’’ Tedstone said
PHE said severe obesity in 10 to 11 year olds has now reached an all-time high with overweight or obese children are more likely to be overweight or as obese as adults.
“PHE is working with the food industry in Britain to remove 20 per cent of sugar from products contributing the most to children’s sugar intakes by 2020.
“With a third of children leaving primary school overweight or obese, tackling obesity requires wider action and is not just limited to individual efforts from parents,’’ PHE said.
Some popular food brands are to cooperate with the campaign by badging their products as “good choice” options. (Xinhua/NAN)