STOP YOUR KIDS FROM EATING CRISPS
Parents warned to limit sugary snacks to 100 calories in war on obesity
PARENTS are being urged to cut back drastically on kids’ high-calorie snacks such as crisps and chocolate.
Public Health England today advises a maximum of two sugary treats a day with a total intake of just 200 calories.
PHE’s Orla Hugueniot said: “It’s a really simple way of bringing down the amount of sugar in children’s diets.”
A third of children in England are overweight when leaving primary school.
WITH a third of children leaving primary school obese or overweight, campaigners have long been calling for a reduction in sugary snacks for youngsters.
And now, the Government has stepped in with advice to limit the amount of treats to two 100-calorie items a day amid growing health fears.
But the move rules out an array of popular packets of snacks, including crisps at 190 calories, pastries at 270, ice creams at 175 and chocolate at 240.
The advice came from Public Health England. Its chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone said: “We’ve developed a simple rule of thumb to help families move towards healthier snacking… look for 100-calorie snacks, two a day max.”
PHE’s Orla Hugueniot insisted there was no ban on giving kids snacks but urged parents to use the traffic lights guide on food packaging that indicates the levels of unhealthy products such as sugar, salt and fat.
She added: “It’s a really simple way of bringing down the amount of sugar in children’s diets.
“We are not saying they can never give children a chocolate or biscuit ever again. But it cannot be a daily occurrence.
“If it is they are going to be eating far more sugar than they need.” Obesity Health Alliance Lead Caroline Cerny said: “It’s all too easy to eat more sugar than is good for us. “Particularly when everyday foods are loaded with sugar. This is contributing to high levels of childhood obesity. We need all sectors of the food industry to reduce sugar in products.” PHE has issued its Change4Life food charts showing how much sugar, salt and fat is in food. It also urged parents to swap sugary snacks for healthier food such as fruit. It comes days after it emerged PHE plans to reduce the recommended daily calorie intake from 2,000 for women and 2,500 to men to 1,600. There are no such child guidelines.
The latest advice has not gone down well with all. Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs thinktank, said: “No one would argue against healthy snacks but these arbitrary limits are an insult to people’s intelligence.”
The Food and Drink Federation added: “We recognise obesity is a major challenge. Manufacturers have reduced the sugar, salt, fat and calories in products, and there is now a greater variety of healthier products available to shoppers than ever before.”
THE Christmas lights are still twinkling for many but Easter goodies have already hit the shops.
Tesco had a range of treats on offer yesterday, including Nestle Smarties Chicken in an Easter egg, Dairy Milk Easter eggs and Terry’s chocolate orange eggs.
The Co-op was in there too, with big-name eggs on the shelves in Bristol. With 89 days to Easter, the Coventry branch had Creme Eggs and MaltEaster Bunnies galore. And it had some shoppers hopping mad.
One fumed on Twitter: “Please can we stop pushing the next festival before the current one has finished? It’s wrong!! Easter eggs should go out on March 1.”
But stores insisted it was to meet demand and Tesco said it stocked a limited range early so people could spread the cost.
Wonder if the shoppers checked the shell-by date...
It’s wrong!! Please can we stop? Easter eggs should go out on March 1 ANGRY SHOPPER TAKES TO TWITTER YESTERDAY