The Change4Life initiative's Sugar Smart campaign across England by the Public Health of England in the form of a smartphone app is receiving great support from such super chains as Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Asda and from such food manufacturers as Weetabix.
Head of brand for Weetabix, Richard Lawrence, says: "Change4Life's new app is going to help British consumers keep track of their daily sugar consumption, while recommending the types of healthy options that the public should be eating instead of high-sugar alternatives."
"Weetabix remains one of the most recognized healthy breakfast cereal options in the UK because it is low in sugar, low in salt, high in fiber and fortified with vitamins and iron. We therefore fully support Change4Life and its efforts and look forward to doing our part in educating the British public on healthy eating throughout 2016."
The app is a handy tool, which - by scanning - determines the 4-gram sugar cube content of over 75,000 food and beverages distributed across the UK. A 'Sugar Reveal' feature in the app allows sharing among family and friends.
The recommended sugar intake for children aged four to six is 19 g (five sugar cubes); for those aged seven to 10 is 24 g (six sugar cubes); and for those aged 11 and above is 30 g (seven sugar cubes).
The app makes a timely entrance as health problems brought on by sugar consumption continues to increase in both adults and children. Excess weight and obesity are issues in one-fifth of children aged four to five years old and one-third of children aged 10 to 11 years old.
According to PHE, consumption of added sugar per year in children aged four to 10-years-old is 22 kg more than the average 20.7 g weight of a five-year old.
PHE chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone says: "Children are having too much sugar, three times the maximum recommended amount. This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity.
"Children aged five shouldn't have more than 19 g of sugar per day. That's five cubes but it's very easy to have more. That's why we want parents to be 'Sugar Smart', and our app will help parents see where the sugar in their children's diet is coming from, so they can make informed choices about what to cut down on."
