Public health officials in the United Kingdom have launched a new campaign to expose just how much sugar is included in popular drinks in the hopes of stemming the growing number of children with tooth decay.
The city council of Liverpool on May 9 started the "Is your child's sweet tooth harming their health?" drive to help raise the public's awareness on the health dangers associated with drinking heavily sugared beverages.
Officials hope the campaign will help lower the sales of products, which they believe are causing the high rates of tooth decay and obesity in the city.
The council has begun putting up large displays that highlight the amount of sugar included in popular drinks in various hospitals and children's centers around Liverpool.
The two biggest offenders have been identified as Lucozade, whose energy drinks contain 15.5 cubes of sugar for every 500-ml bottle, and Coca Cola, whose soft drinks have 13.5 cubes for every 500-ml bottle.
Other drinks that have high sugar content include Frijj chocolate milkshake (12.7 sugar cubes for every 471-ml serving), Capri-Sun (8.25 sugar cubes for every 330-ml serving), Tropicana orange juice (7.5 sugar cubes for every 330-ml serving), Ribena (7.25 sugar cubes for every 288-ml serving) and Volvic flavored water (5.75 sugar cubes for every 500-ml serving).
Health experts recommend that children should only receive five to seven cubes of sugar for their maximum daily allowance, depending on their age.
Dr. Sandra Davies, head of Public Health Liverpool, said they are the first health agency in the UK to identify the amount of sugar in specific products in order to help Britons make better choices when it comes to their health.
She pointed out that many people don't pay close attention to the labels on beverages, leaving them unaware of the amount of sugar included in these products.
The consumption of heavily sugared drinks among children is also contributing to the growing obesity issue, according to Liverpool Councilor Tim Beaumont.
He said one in every four young children in the city starting primary school is overweight. This figure increases to 38 percent among children in secondary school.
British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) Director General Gavin Partington, however, stressed that soft drinks makers are already taking steps to lower the sugar content in their products.
"If this were a genuine education campaign to reduce sugar intake then surely it would look at all sources of sugar consumption and not just target soft drinks, which is the only food category where sugar intake is actually falling year on year," Partington said.
Photo: Soumyadeep Paul | Flickr
