Plenty of fizz, but still waiting for the bang on sugar reduction

Children’s Food Campaign’s response to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) draft report and Public Health England sugar reduction paper:

• government scientists and top public health advisors identify sugary drinks as a key contributor to obesity and poor dental health in children and teenagers.
• Public Health England will explore the case for introducing a sugary drinks duty, as part of a more robust approach to reducing sugar consumption.
• separate evidence published today from North West England reinforces the health and economic benefits of a duty on sugary drinks.
• public health community - led by Action on Sugar and Faculty of Public Health - overwhelming backs introduction of a sugary drinks duty, alongside other measures to stop marketing of sugary products to children.

Today sees the launch of three new reports building the case for taking more action on reducing sugar intake as part of a healthy diet. Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, responded to today’s publication of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) draft report and Public Health England’s sugar reduction paper:

“For too long the government has let scientific evidence and public health advice on tackling obesity, diabetes and tooth decay take a back seat to the interests of the food and drink industry. The folly of that approach has been exposed today by the government’s own nutrition and obesity experts, who warn that children’s sugar consumption is still far too high, and more robust action – such as potentially introducing a sugary drinks duty – is necessary.”

Today’s announcements support the Children’s Food Campaign’s calls for a sugary drinks duty, for restrictions on marketing of less healthy products aimed at children and for the rollout of Government Buying Standards across all of the public sector.  Public Health England are now echoing the calls of over a hundred national organisations backing this campaign for the government to take stronger measures to tackle the obesogenic environment.

On the implementation of the measures needed to reduce sugar consumption, Malcolm Clark commented:

 “We can’t simply wait for companies to take a little sugar out of their most sugary products, or modify their worst marketing habits in several years time, and call that good enough.  So it is welcome news that the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is recommending that the bar be set much higher in terms of what needs to be achieved. We are also pleased that Public Health England (PHE) will be examining restrictions on marketing to children, the availability of sugary drinks and snacks in hospitals, parks and leisure centres, the removal of sweets and chocolate from the checkout, and the case for introducing a sugary drinks duty.”

“However, even if – and it is still a big if – PHE has the courage of its convictions and formally recommends these measures, the big question is will the government follow the example of the new school food standards, which include specific mandatory measures to reduce the amount of sugar children consume; or will it ignore public health advice once again?”

In responding to the increased attention on a sugary drinks duty and the Food Active report, published today, on the potential impact of such measures in NW England, Malcolm Clark said:

“Public Health England’s own ‘Smart Swaps’ campaign showed the public’s appetite for switching to low or no sugar alternatives, especially when given price incentives to do so. The benefits of introducing a sugary drinks duty set at 20p per litre are clear. New research from the Directors of Public Health in North West England, also published today, indicates that such a duty would result in a reduction in the number of cases of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer across the region over the next 20 years.”

“The Directors of Public Health in the North West join a huge groundswell within the public health community and wider civil society in support of a sugary drinks duty, coupled with measures to close the loopholes that allow companies to continue to promote their sugary products to children online, on TV, and at store checkouts.  Revenue from the sugary drinks duty could go into a ‘Children’s Future Fund’, to pay for programmes to improve children’s health and protect the environment they grow up in.”

Contact:

For further information, and for interviews, please contact Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator, Children’s Food Campaign, on 0203 5596 777 / 07733322148, or email malcolm@sustainweb.org

Notes:

1. The Children’s Food Campaign aims to improve young people’s health and well-being through better food – and food teaching – in schools and by protecting children from junk food marketing.  We are supported by over 150 national organisations and co-ordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.  www.childrensfood.org.uk
2. ‘A Children’s Future Fund – How food duties could provide the money to protect children’s health and the world they grow up in’ report was published in January 2013 by Sustain. It recommended the introduction of a sugary drinks duty for the UK which at 20p per litre; to ring-fence the majority of money raised from a sugary drinks duty for a Children’s Future Fund, which could be spent on improving children’s health by, for example, providing free school meals, or sustainably produced fruit and vegetable snacks in schools; and give an independent body the responsibility to oversee how the sugary drinks duty is implemented and make sure the revenue is spent effectively. On publication, over 60 national organisations publicly supported the recommendations. For a full list see https://www.sustainweb.org/news/jan13_childrens_future_fund
3. Children’s Food Campaign has been calling for less healthy products to be removed from all checkouts in all stores (www.junkfreecheckouts.org.uk) and for the government to close the loopholes that currently allow these products to be promoted to children on TV and online
4. Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) draft report on sugar intake, and Public Health England’s report on ‘sugar reduction – responding to the challenge’, sugar both published on 26 June 2014, are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-responding-to-the-challenge
5. FoodActive is the campaign to tackle obesity set up by the Directors of Public Health in North West England. Their research and report can be viewed at  http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6e58da67be9652a138ec854ee&id=d0582a70e9
6. Action on Sugar is a group of specialists concerned with sugar and its effects on health. It is successfully working to reach a consensus with the food industry and Government over the harmful effects of a high sugar diet, and bring about a reduction in the amount of sugar in processed foods. Action on Sugar is supported by 21 expert advisors. www.actiononsugar.org/ 
7. Children’s Food Campaign is urging the public to show their support for a sugary drinks duty by signing up to the campaign at www.childrensfood.org.uk