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A new campaign has been launched encouraging parents to get ‘Sugar Smart’ and take control of their children’s sugar intake.
The Change4Life campaign follows revelations that four-to-10 year olds consume an estimated 5,500 sugar cubes a year (22kg), weighing the same as an average five year old.
Currently, a third of children leaving primary school are overweight or obese. This means they are more likely to become obese adults who are more prone to a range of serious health problems, such as heart disease, some cancers and Type 2 diabetes. Nationally, there are now 2.5 milli0n people suffering from Type 2 diabetes, 90% of which are overweight or obese.
A new Sugar Smart app has been launched to help parents to see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. The free app works by scanning the barcode of products and revealing the amount of total sugar it contains in cubes and grams.
Change4Life has created an eye-opening short film, which warns parents about the health harms of eating and drinking too much sugar, including becoming overweight and tooth decay. The film brings to life the excessive amount of sugar consumed by the average child per year; currently three times more than the new maximum recommended daily amount.
The campaign reveals the sugar content of everyday food and drink; a 43g chocolate bar contains six cubes of sugar, a 200ml juice drink contains over five cubes and there are nine sugar cubes in a can of cola, instantly taking children up to or over their recommended maximum for the day.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist for Public Health England, said: ‘Children are having too much sugar, three times the maximum recommended amount. This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children’s wellbeing as they are more likely to be bullied, have low-self esteem and miss school.’
‘Children aged five shouldn’t have more than 19 grams of sugar per day- that’s five cubes, but it’s very easy to have more. That’s why we want parents to be “Sugar Smart”. Our easy to use app will help parents see exactly where the sugar in their children’s diet is coming from, so they can make informed choices about what to cut down on.’
Singer and TV presenter Jamelia is supporting the campaign and starring in a series of Sugar Smart films from January, she says: ‘One of the trickiest challenges as a mum is trying to avoid sugar sneaking into my children’s diets. Supporting this new Change4Life campaign has opened my eyes to how much sugar is in the everyday food and drink we eat and drink. It’s so important to take control of the amount of sugar our kids are eating and act now. I’d recommend all parents download the Sugar Smart app to uncover sugar that’s in their everyday food and drink to make healthier choices when food shopping.”
Five million Sugar Smart packs will be given away to primary school children and their families via schools, local authorities and retailers. There will be 25 Change4Life Sugar Smart roadshows, taking place across the country from January to March. Five major supermarkets have also pledged to support the campaign through educating and helping customers to make healthier food choices when shopping.
You can download the Change4Life Sugar Smart app to find out how much sugar is in the food and drink your family consumes every day and search ‘Change4Life’ for lots of free support, tips, ideas and recipes.
As sugary drinks manufacturers gear-up to promote their products this Christmas, and as we reach the end of the UK’s first ever Sugar Awareness Week, health activists from the Give Up Loving Pop campaign are hitting back at industry with their new film ‘A Quick Swig‘ which highlights the health harms associated with the consumption of sugary drinks.
With many towns and cities receiving a visit from the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck this December ‘A Quick Swig‘ aims to get the public to think again before they are tempted to indulge in ‘liquid sugar’. Designed to mimic the marketing efforts of the big sugary drinks manufacturers, ‘A Quick Swig’ shows how overconsumption of sugary drinks can lead to nasty surprises for your health including obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.
Robin Ireland, Director of the Give Up Loving Pop campaign, comments:
“Coca-Cola and others really go out of their way during the festive season to push their products on the public. But our new animation A Quick Swig hopes to counter this marketing and to show the sugary drinks companies for what they are- A Bad Santa: promoting products that can lead to long term health conditions- which are not exactly the sort of presents that you want to receive at Christmas.”
“With one in three children leaving primary school classed as overweight or obese, we’re working hard at Give Up Loving Pop to get the message out to the public that A Quick Swig of a sugary drink is not necessary this Christmas!”
View A Quick Swig below!
We are proud to say that Give Up Loving Pop has made its way into the pages of a new book from renowned food writer and Professor of Nutrition, Marion Nestle.
Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda examines all of the ways that the soft drink industry works overtime to make drinking soda as common and accepted as drinking water, for adults and children. Soda Politics shows how sodas are principally miracles of advertising; Coca-Cola and PepsiCo spend billions of dollars each year to promote their sale to children, minorities, and low-income populations, in developing as well as industrialised nations. And once they have stimulated that demand, they leave no stone unturned to protect profits.
Give Up Loving Pop is referenced as a campaign that is successfully taking the fight to Big Soda and having an effect on the consumption of sugary drinks in the UK (see full quote below):
