A boroughwide campaign depicting the facts about the hidden sugar in our food – especially fizzy drinks, is being led by Enfield Council.
Cllr Nneka Keazor, Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, asks: “Do people really know how much sugar is in their food? It is all too easy to consume sugar and most people eat it in foods without even knowing. It is now time to show them just how much sugar they are consuming.
“Too much can lead to obesity and serious health conditions such as: type two diabetes; heart disease and some cancers.
“Obesity figures for Enfield are shocking. Approximately 163,700 adults (64.2%); 1,050 five year olds (26.4%); and 1,400 eleven year olds (39.6%) are overweight or obese. And almost four out of ten children have untreated decaying teeth.
“We can do something about this by simply eating foods that contain less sugar, avoiding drinks with added sugar and checking its content in processed food. It’s time to think about feeling well and cutting out unnecessary sugar in our diets.”
New recommendations from the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition state that added sugar and the natural sugars in syrups, honey and fruit juices should not exceed 5% of our total dietary energy intake.
This means
• no more than five cubes (19g) a day for children aged 4 to 6
• no more than six cubes (24g) a day for children aged 7 to 10
• no more than seven cubes (30g) a day for children aged 11 or more and adults
Billions of pounds are spent every year dealing with problems that are largely preventable. For instance treating type two diabetes costs the NHS £8.8 billion a year, almost 9% of its budget.
Cllr Keazor, added, “I hope people will check for hidden sugar in our food and that food manufacturers play their part in reducing the sugar in their products.”
Sweet temptation leads to health risks
