Shropshire health bosses welcome calls to limit calories in children's snacks

Public Health England (PHE) has warned that on average, children are consuming at least three unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks a day, with around a third consuming four or more.

This means that children can easily consume three times more sugar than is recommended.

Its new Change4Life campaign encourages parents to "Look for 100 calorie snacks, two a day max," to help them offer healthier snacks in a bid to tackle the obesity epidemic that is seeing a third of children leave primary school overweight or obese.

Dr Julian Povey, chairman of Shropshire clinical commissioning group (CCG), said: “I welcome the latest advice being given to families about choosing snacks wisely.

"Here at Shropshire CCG our Young Health Champions have been leading the way for the last two years with their ‘DiabeatIt’ project which aims to educate young people about reducing their risk of developing type two diabetes.

"The fun and interactive session has been delivered to over 3,000 students in Shropshire schools and includes a ‘supermarket sweep’ which teaches participants how to read and understand food labelling as well as a dance video that encourages being active.”

Young Health Champions is a project run by Shropshire CCG in partnership with Shropshire Youth Association which trains young people between the ages of 11 and 25 to work together with their local healthcare providers to support healthy communities.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH), has also already taken positive steps to reduce the availability of sweets and sugared drinks.

In 2016, the trust ended the sale of sugared drinks and confectionery aimed at children at its outlets and vending machines at the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at PRH.

It follows a move a year earlier which saw SaTH increase the cost of sugared drink by 10p, with the additional money raised used to fund material to raise awareness of the risks of sugar in food and drink.

PHE has said half of children's sugar intake, currently around seven sugar cubes a day, comes from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, leading to obesity and dental decay.

This is while the recommended daily maximum is no more than five cubes of sugar for four to six-year-olds and no more than six cubes for seven to 10-year-olds per day.

And each year children are consuming almost 400 biscuits, more than 120 cakes, buns and pastries, around 100 portions of sweets and nearly 70 of both chocolate bars and ice creams – washed down with more than 150 juice drink pouches and cans of fizzy drink.

The campaign, which is the first Change4Life to promote healthier snacks, will offer parents special offers on a range of healthier snacks, including fruit and vegetables at selected supermarkets.

Healthier suggestions for snacks and drinks while at home and on-the-go include fresh or tinned fruit salad, chopped vegetables and lower fat hummus, plain rice cakes, crackers, malt loaf, crumpets and Scotch pancakes.

PHE said its new advice applies to all snacks apart from fruit and vegetables, as children should still be encouraged to eat a variety of these to achieve their five a day.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said: "The true extent of children's snacking habits is greater than the odd biscuit or chocolate bar. Children are having unhealthy snacks throughout the day and parents have told us they're concerned.

"You see children buying chips coming out of school and buying a bag of chips on their way home from school, and that's part of the reason why we have an obesity epidemic in this country.

"To make it easier for busy families, we've developed a simple rule of thumb to help them move towards healthier snacking – look for 100 calories snacks, two a day max."