Hot on the heels of Sugar Awareness Week, new research from Action on Sugar at Queen Mary University of London reveals a stark reality: just a few snacks can result in children exceeding their daily maximum sugar allowance.
For instance, consuming a cake at school lunchtime, a chocolate bar on the way home, and a couple of biscuits after dinner can amount to a staggering 1,326 calories and 92.5g of sugar. This is triple the recommended daily sugar intake for children aged 11 and older, highlighting a deeply concerning issue.
The statistics speak volumes. Over 60% of cakes and chocolate confectionery, and nearly half of biscuits surveyed, contain sugar levels that meet or exceed one-third of a child’s daily limit per serving. These foods, readily available in schools, as well as supermarkets and convenience stores near schools, remain major contributors to high sugar intake among young people.
Despite the government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme, which aimed for a 20% reduction in sugar across key product categories by 2020, progress has been minimal. That’s particularly in the categories central to our latest survey: just 3.2% for cakes, 3.1% for biscuits, and a mere 0.9% for chocolate confectionery.
Contrast this with the success of the mandatory soft drinks levy, which reduced sugar content in drinks by 34.3%. This achievement demonstrates meaningful progress is possible when government action is bold and enforceable. Yet, despite mounting evidence, the government has hesitated to extend this levy to high-sugar foods such as cakes, biscuits, and chocolate – a glaring oversight that continues to expose children to unnecessary levels of sugar.
This is compounded further by shortcomings in the school food environment. Shockingly, current school food standards still allow cakes and biscuits to be served at lunchtime, potentially driving children to exceed their daily sugar limits before the school day ends.
Recent research shows secondary schools in England are not fully compliant with even these outdated standards, largely due to inadequate external monitoring and insufficient funding. This creates a vicious cycle: schools fail to adhere to guidelines, children consume excessive levels of sugar, and public health continues to deteriorate.
The Department for Education must act urgently to revise and enforce school food standards, ensuring schools, including academies, comply with stricter regulations aligned with revised sugar guidelines.
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The need for change goes beyond schools. A shift in the wider food environment is essential to reduce the ease with which high-sugar products dominate our lives. The survey’s findings highlight the dangers of excessive calorie and sugar consumption from popular snack combinations.
For instance, pairing a Sainsbury’s gluten-free blueberry muffin (361kcals, 28.5g sugar), a Ritter Sport White Whole Hazelnuts bar (583kcals, 44g sugar), and two Aldi Orkney caramel shortbreads (382kcals, 20g sugar) results in an eye-watering 92.5g of sugar – equivalent to 23 teaspoons!
However, pairing a Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co Raspberry & Vanilla Mini Roll, an Aldi Dairyfine Dreemy Bar, and two Sainsbury’s Rich Tea Fingers contributed to 18.4g of sugar. A vastly lower combination of still three sweet foods.
The question is, to what extent are lower-calorie and lower-sugar options being promoted, and are they being overshadowed by their high-sugar counterparts? This imbalance is a failure of both the government and the food industry. Without decisive action, including a mandatory levy on sugary snacks to push for the promotion of healthier alternatives, children remain at the mercy of an unhealthy food environment.
The truth is, sugary foods are almost inescapable for most children – they’re readily available in schools and often the easiest choice on the way home. We’re simply not doing enough to support children in keeping their sugar intake within recommended guidelines.
We have a duty to every child to make school and the surrounding environments a sanctuary from unnecessary sugar, so they can grow up healthier, stronger, and free from the risks of diet-related disease.
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