Ad ban is a fat lot of good without cheap fresh food
A BAN on junk food ads on TV before 9pm and online completely was a positive measure outlined in the Queen’s Speech this week.
Commercials featuring unhealthy food and snacks will no longer be shown pre-watershed and banished on the internet.
It’s a significant step, but much more needs to be done if we are to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis. Six out of 10 adults are overweight.
The problem is particularly worrying for children. One in three leaves primary school overweight or obese.
What’s really concerning is that when it comes to the bad stuff – sugar and fat – most of it is eaten at home.
According to research from the University of Birmingham this week, children consume most sugar in meals prepared by their own parents.
Researchers found that kids were having as much as 14 teaspoons of sugar every day – the equivalent of 57 grams – which is added to food or drink or found naturally in fruit juices and honey.
Cereal is one of the worst offenders. When I checked the sugar content of the cereal in my cupboard at home, I couldn’t believe I’d been buying breakfast food that contained almost 12 grams, the equivalent of three teaspoons of sugar, in a 30g serving. And let’s face it, we often eat more than 30g.
It was a timely reminder that parents have to keep an eye on these things. It’s no good me giving my son fruit and a wholemeal cheese sandwich for lunch if he’s consuming half his sugar intake before he’s even got to school.
I do think manufacturers have a key role to play.
They must reduce the amount of sugar and, for that matter, salt, in food. No one needs that much.
It also needs to be more affordable for parents to make nutritious meals from scratch at home. We’re constantly being told to eat more fresh fish and vegetables, for instance, but they often come with a hefty price tag compared to cheap and cheerful processed meals.
Schools seem to have done a great job on this front.
We no doubt have Jamie Oliver to thank for his war on Turkey Twizzlers, once a staple part of school dinners.
Let’s have more education and make it easier and more affordable for families to eat well. Otherwise the tag of being the unhealthiest nation in Europe will be something we wear for a long time to come.
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Has to be more affordable for parents to make meals from scratch