Children consume half daily sugar allowance before school
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- Published: Tuesday, 03 January 2017 07:44
- Written by News Editor
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According to Public Health England (PHE) children consume half the daily recommended sugar intake before the morning school bell rings. They eat more than 11g of sugar at breakfast time alone, almost 3 sugar cubes. The recommended daily maximum is no more than 5 cubes of sugar for 4- to 6-year-olds and no more than 6 cubes for 7- to 10-year-olds per day.
By the end of the day, children eat more than three times these recommendations. Over 8 in 10 parents surveyed consider their children’s breakfast as healthy. New Change4Life Be Food Smart app shows families how much sugar, saturated fat and salt and is in their food and drinks.
A survey conducted for PHE’s Change4Life campaign, found that parents are unsure what makes up a healthy breakfast for their children. Some of the main sources of sugar at breakfast time include sugary cereals, drinks, and spreads. Away from the breakfast table, children are also consuming too much sugar, saturated fat and salt in items such as confectionery, biscuits, muffins, pastries and soft drinks, which all contribute to an unhealthy diet.
PHE’s new Change4Life campaign urges parents to ‘Be Food Smart’ and take more control of their children’s diets. A new “Be Food Smart” app has been developed to highlight just how much sugar, saturated fat and salt can be found in everyday food and drink that their children consume.
The free app helps and encourages families to choose healthier options and works by scanning the barcode of products allowing parents to compare brands, and features food detective activities for children and mini missions the whole family can enjoy.
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