Children’s sugar intake is three times too high – time for urgent measures – Noone

Dublin Senator Catherine Noone, has called for anti-sugar consumption measures to be implemented here as a matter of priority. The call follows a new UK study revealing that children under 11 may be consuming three times too much sweet food and drink.

“Here in Ireland one in four Irish children have been classified as overweight or obese, whilst the World Health Organisation recently predicted Ireland would be the fattest nation in Europe by 2030. As trends in Ireland tend to closely mirror those in the UK, this new report on the alarming over-consumption of sugar by children is cause for concern.

“According to the study, which was conducted by the British Department of Health, the average child derives 15% of energy from added sugars – three times the recommendation amount.

“Nutrition advisers have recommended that governments halve the added sugar limit to just 5% of daily calorie intake. This is around six teaspoons of sugar and the same recommendation the World Health Organisation has been campaigning for. In effect, that’s less than one can of Coke, which contains 8 teaspoons or 140% of the recommended daily intake.

“It’s high time the Irish Government, along with our British counterparts, accepts these recommendations and develops a national strategy on childhood obesity. I believe this strategy should include strict rules against TV advertising sugary products to children and a ban on special offers and strategic positioning of sweets in supermarkets.”