48 cubes of sugar in a child’s meal
A RESTAURANT chain is selling children’s meals loaded with 48 cubes of sugar.
the Pizza Hut dinner delivers 192g of sugar – eight times the recommended daily limit for youngsters aged seven to ten.
the company is one of 21 investigated by food and health campaigners at the social Association.
they found that Pizza Hut, Frankie & Benny’s and Café rouge all offered children free or discounted refills of high-calorie drinks.
spokesman rob Percival said the findings were ‘obscene’. ‘Parents want to take their children for a treat, but they have no idea how much sugar some high street restaurants are peddling at their children,’ he added.
‘two in three parents don’t think that kids’ food in restaurants is good enough. Adults expect to be offered real food and real choices in restaurants and we think children deserve the same.
‘We’ve found some up-market eateries are designing menus that make healthy eating for children almost impossible.’
the study found that a 9in BBQ Americano from Pizza Hut contains the equivalent of 5.25 cubes of sugar.
An ice cream dessert contributes 26 more cubes which, along with a Pepsi and free refill of 16.5 cubes, take the total to 48.
the 21 chains were ranked according to the nutritional value of their children’s meals and their information about ingredients. Burger King came bottom, followed by KFC and strada. Other poor performers were Pizza Hut, nando’s and Hungry Horse.
top of the league was Jamie’s Italian, owned by chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver. second place went to Harvester. Giraffe, which is owned by tesco, came third.
the number of chains serving vegetables or salad with every meal has risen to ten from six in 2013. the number which include information on where their food is from rose from five to nine.
Pizza Hut insists it provides a balanced and varied menu. In a statement it added: ‘All of our self- service drink machines provide low- and no- sugar options, and the majority of carbonated drinks bought are low- or no- sugar. Free, unlimited salad, which includes over 30 varieties of fruit and vegetables, is available in all of our Huts.’
Primary schools should take their pupils for a 15minute walk or run every day to tackle obesity, according to a leading health expert.
shirley Cramer, who is chief executive of the royal society for Public Health, said it would be a simple and cheap way to promote activity.
the RSPH, which represents public health professionals, will today join the call for a tax on sugar and will demand greater investment in social care and public health.