Say no to treats one day a week, urges watchdog

Campaign to cut snacks on Tuesday and beat obesity

SCOTS will be urged to cut unhealthy snacks from their diet on at least one day each week in the latest campaign against obesity by the country’s food watchdog.

Food Standards Scotland is calling on people to shun calorie-laden treats such as chocolate, sweets, cakes, crisps, biscuits and sugary drinks every Tuesday as part of its “Treat-Free Tuesday” drive.

It comes days after an FSS report recommended curbing portion sizes and adding calorie information to menus to encourage people to eat more healthily when they are dining out.

The watchdog said the average consumer could eliminate up to 16,000 calories a year from their diet by giving up two chocolate biscuits and a can of sugary drink one day per week.

Dr Gillian Purdon, FSS senior dietary adviser, said: “Too many people treat themselves with unhealthy snacks they just don’t need. The fact is, all those little extras can add up to health problems for ourselves and our children in the longer term.

“Around one-third of children and around two-thirds of adults in Scotland are currently overweight or obese. It’s forecast that, unless things change, 40 per cent of adults in Scotland could be obese by 2030.

“A treat should be just that – something we enjoy which we have occasionally – but as a nation we have got into the habit of frequently having unhealthy snacks.

“Making changes to your diet might be easier than you think, so we’re calling on people in Scotland to commit to dropping unhealthy snacks and treats every Tuesday as a simple, achievable way to start cutting out unnecessary snacking.”

FSS’s healthy eating marketing campaign “Change our Future” will run from today on television, online and on social media, promoted through the hashtag “treatfreetuesday”, designed to encourage people to make changes to their diet.

It is the latest bid by the country’s food regulator to tackle Scotland’s obesity crisis. Last week, the FSS suggested that a calorie cap could be used to cut portion sizes of main meals in restaurants and takeaways, and called for nutritional information to be routinely available to consumers when eating out.

The organisation is also pushing for the sugar tax on drinks to be expanded to cover treats such as chocolate, ice-cream and cake.

FSS chairman Ross Finnie said: “Because there has been no change in the obesity rate for 15 years, we believe government could not and should not rule out introducing a sugar tax that would encompass not just sugar drinks but also [all] products that had an excessive rate of free sugars contained in them.”

He pointed to the recent announcement by Irn-Bru maker AG Barr that it was cutting the amount of sugar from its bestknown brands as evidence that the tax encouraged manufacturers to make healthier products.

Mr Finnie said: “If even the threat of a sugar drinks tax means serious players in the industry now indicate it is possible to reformulate, the Government should examine a wider tax to encompass a whole load of products that have excessive levels of free sugars.”

‘‘ A treat should be just that - but as a nation we have got into the habit of frequently having unhealthy snacks

THE mascot for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow has joined his antipodean cousin to meet primary school pupils in Glasgow as the baton relay to next year’s Brisbane games get under way. Clyde was joined by Gold Coast 2018’s version, Borobi the Koala, at Caledonia Primary School along with athlete Eilidh Doyle, who won silver in the 400m hurdles at Glasgow 2014. The relay is due to be officially launched today by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. Picture: Jamie Simpson