10 year olds in the UK have consumed 18 years’ worth of sugar!

The latest Change4Life campaign is asking parents to “Make a swap when you next shop” to halve their children’s sugar intake from some everyday food and drinks.

Children have already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18 year old by the time they reach their tenth birthday, according to Public Health England (PHE). This is based on their total sugar consumption from the age of two.

While children’s sugar intakes have declined slightly in recent years, they are still consuming around 8 excess sugar cubes each day, equivalent to around 2,800 excess sugar cubes per year.

Making simple everyday swaps can reduce children’s sugar intake from some products (yoghurts, drinks and breakfast cereals) by half – while giving them healthier versions of the foods and drinks they enjoy.

• Parents can try swapping:
• a higher-sugar yoghurt (e.g. split-pot) for a lower sugar one.
• a sugary juice drink for a no-added sugar juice drink.
• a higher-sugar breakfast cereal (e.g. a frosted or chocolate cereal) for a lower sugar cereal.
• options such as malt loaf, sugar-free jellies, lower-sugar custards and rice puddings would reduce their intake even more.

Families are encouraged to look for the Change4Life ‘Good Choice’ badge in shops, download the free Food Scanner app or search Change4Life to help them find lower sugar options.

Popular brands – including Nestlé Shredded Wheat, Nestlé Low Sugar Oat Cheerios, Petits Filous and Soreen (malt loaf) – will display the ‘Good Choice’ badge online, in-store and throughout their advertising, to help parents find healthier options.

For more information visit the Change4life website – https://www.nhs.uk/change4life