Tackling the “root causes” of UK childhood obesity: New Health Minister vows crackdown on toddlers’ sugar consumption

07 May 2019 --- In a bid to get a handle on continually rising UK childhood obesity rates, newly-appointed Public Health Minister Seema Kennedy has vowed to crack down on obesity and diet from the earliest ages. The move comes as Public Health England (PHE) data shows 87 percent of children aged one-and-a-half to three years old exceed the daily recommended allowance for sugar. Baby and toddler food will also be a key focus of the UK government’s upcoming Green Paper on the prevention of poor health, according to the MP.

Hailing the UK sugar tax on soft drinks as an example of fighting obesity, the Health Minister says that the UK government has had some early success through “sensible and proportionate action.” This includes cutting thousands of tons of sugar from soft drinks as manufacturers massively reformulated products ahead of the UK’s sugar levy which came into force last April. 

Now, in her first major intervention on the childhood obesity challenge, Kennedy says that nine out of ten toddlers are consuming too much sugar and stronger steps must be taken. She wants to shift the focus of the obesity fight toward addressing sugar consumption among the UK’s youngest population. 

“I’ll be looking at how we can apply what we’ve learned to a child’s early years using the forthcoming prevention Green Paper to explore how we can make products healthier and give parents the honest information to make the best decisions at this crucial time in their child’s life,” she explains. 

This raises questions that further sugar levies could be introduced across other food categories in the UK which would prompt further reformulation. 

The UK’s sugar tax has two tiers; a lower rate of 18 pence per liter for beverages with a total sugar content between 5-8g per 100ml and a higher price of 24 pence per liter for drinks with total sugars over 8g per 100ml.

Children should get a maximum of five percent of their energy intake from added sugars, according to national guidelines. However, children under four are consuming an average of 32.6g daily (approximately eight teaspoons) – more than double the recommendation. 

This could have devastating health consequences for children. The number one reason for children to be hospitalized in the UK is for tooth extraction and childhood obesity is linked with a number of health problems later in life including diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). 

The Green Paper follows previous PHE findings that alleged that by the age of ten, UK children have already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old. The figures coincided with the launch of the Change4Life campaign from PHE, which encouraged families to “make a swap when you next shop” in a bid to cut sugar consumption and renew focus on sugar reduction as a method to tackle childhood obesity.

What is the PHE program?
The PHE’s sugar reduction and wider reformulation program engages with all sectors of the food and beverage industry to reduce the amount of sugar in popular children’s food and drinks by 20 percent by 2020.

The initial focus is on the top nine food categories that contribute the most to children’s sugar intakes. These are yogurts, biscuits, cakes, morning goods (such as croissants, buns and waffles), puddings, ice-cream, breakfast cereals, confectionery, sweet spreads and sauces.

PHE also included reduction and reformulation ambitions for sweetened, fermented yogurt beverages earlier this year, which also came in at a 20 percent sugar reduction. It also has a salt reduction program across several food categories. 

In June 2018, the UK Government also announced a package of measures aimed at halving childhood obesity rates by 2030, including efforts to prevent stores from displaying unhealthy food at checkouts and to ban the sale of caffeine-laden energy drinks to children.

The excessive amounts of sugar found in some breakfast cereals was highlighted by UK watchdog, Behind the Label, last October. The organization found that UK consumers often eat more than a kilo of sugar a week – 238 teaspoons – much of which is from unknown sources. 

Last week, UK lobby group Action on Sugar also highlighted its campaign against saccharides in a newly issued report, which states that consumers are “mislead on honey and so-called ‘healthier’ syrups, despite them being officially categorized the same way as table sugar.”

And in February, another UK-based survey into the sugar and salt content of breakfast cereals aimed towards children claimed that many products have “alarmingly high” levels. This is at odds with the UK Government’s daily intake recommendations and contradicts public health messages about reducing sugar to tackle childhood obesity, according to Action on Sugar/Salt. The group is also calling for a ban on packaging for unhealthy cereals products that may appeal to children.

PHE also plans to demonstrate where progress has and has not been made on sugar reduction and how this may result in further government action in a report due later this year. 

By Gaynor Selby