Campaigners call for schools to be ‘sanctuary’ from unnecessary sugar

The charity have highlighted the level of sugar sold in school canteens. Credit: PA

Campaigners have called out the "failure" of the Government in managing children's sugar intake, highlighting the level of sugar sold in school canteens.

Action on Sugar found that 61% of cakes, 63% of chocolate confectionery and 44% of biscuits they found in school canteens equaled or exceeded one third – or 10g – of the daily sugar limit for children.

Their research found that packaged cake, a chocolate bar and two biscuits consumed over the course of a school day could add up to three times the recommended daily sugar limit for children aged 11 and over.

The charity is urging the government to extend the successful Soft Drinks Industry Levy to include high-sugar foods. Credit: PA

Action on Sugar said their findings show that the of the Government’s voluntary Sugar Reduction Programme has "failed". The scheme aimed to cut sugar by 20% across key product categories by 2020.

The charity says it achieved little real difference in cakes (down 3.2%), biscuits (down 3.1%) and chocolate confectionery (down 0.9%).

In comparison, the Government’s mandatory Soft Drinks Industry Levy achieved a 34.3% reduction in sugar content.

The charity is urging the government to extend the successful Soft Drinks Industry Levy to include high-sugar foods.

The campaigners are also calling for a ban on those items that could contribute to children exceeding their maximum daily limit of sugar at school.

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They warned that the current School Food Standards could be encouraging children to exceed their daily sugar limit by allowing high-sugar foods to be sold in school canteens.

Dr Kawther Hashem, head of research at Action on Sugar, said: “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 a sanctuary from unnecessary sugar, so they can grow up healthier, stronger and free from the risks of diet-related disease".

The charity's chairman, Graham MacGregor, added: "Whilst the previous Government’s Sugar Reduction Programme failed due to a lack of meaningful enforcement, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy proved that targeted, well-orchestrated action works.

“This new government now has a unique opportunity to prioritise the health of the nation by implementing a clear, straightforward approach across the food and drink industry which could save the NHS billions and save many thousands of lives".

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