Sugar intake ‘must be slashed by two-thirds’
SUGAR consumption should be slashed by at least two-thirds, with tougher measures targeting food and drink manufacturers, a report will recommend today.
Britain is facing a public health crisis and experts say a drastic reduction in sugar consumption is needed to reduce the average Briton’s intake to the recommended 1oz (30g) a day.
Brexit is the perfect opportunity for new UK regulation to reduce sugar intake, the Centre for Food Policy said.
Study co-author Professor Jack Winkler, of London Metropolitan University, said: “Obesity is the public health problem of the 21st century. But what really makes this urgent is one of the consequences of obesity, Type 2 diabetes.
“It’s rising very rapidly in Britain, and indeed all over the world. Even more important is it’s beginning to affect people at a very young age.”
Sugar should account for about five per cent of our total calories after the age of 11 – around seven cubes a day.
But Public Health England (PHE) says children are eating on average eight sugar cubes too many every day – totalling 2,800 a year.
Prof Winkler said: “It’s not just a health catastrophe, it’s an economic catastrophe. If the number Excess sugar is fuelling health crisis
of diabetics in Britain rises as a result of obesity, the cost of treating it would break the bank for the NHS.”
Nikki Joule, of Diabetes UK, said reducing sugar intake would be a “key part in tackling the obesity crisis” and preventing Type 2 diabetes.
The study’s five key recommendations include sugar supply limits to the UK market and a minimum refined sugar and sugar beet price.
It said the public need not end up paying higher prices.
The report estimates that sugar accounts for just 0.4 per cent of the retail price of a 500ml bottle of Sprite and 0.6 per cent of the cost of a jam doughnut.
It also recommends a tax on manufacturers for some foods, similar to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy introduced last year.
Prof Winkler and study co-author Ben Richardson, of the University of Warwick, also say leaving the EU will pave the way for tougher new policies.
Their report said Brussels rules governing the supply of sugar in the UK had led to “systematic overproduction”.
Action on Sugar chairman Graham MacGregor, a cardiovascular specialist, said a “joined-up sugar policy with consistent strategies” was desperately needed.
But Tim Rycroft of the Food and Drink Federation said additional tariffs would only make food more expensive.
He said: “Food and drink companies should focus efforts where they can have the maximum impact, instead of managing the impact of wrong-headed legislation.”
WE ALL know we should eat less sugar. We also know that retailers should exercise a little more responsibility and stop tempting us with their sugary “three for the price of two” deals.
But must this really be used as an excuse to impose yet another tax? The heart sinks at a new levy on manufacturers and surely it is ultimately down to the consumer to decide what he or she eats?
This fuss about sugar is a combination of the worst of the nanny state and the worst of a too-high tax regime, exploiting the national sweet tooth in a bid to raise yet more cash.
Far better would be to issue a few sensible guidelines and leave the rest of us to make our own lifestyle choices. Or perhaps be a little more clear about the nastier aspects of diabetes. But leave the rest of us in peace.