Parents should cut sugary drinks out of their children’s diet, Government health officials have said, after Ministers accepted landmark recommendations that will see our daily recommended sugar intake cut in half.
Adults and children over 11 years old should consume no more than 30g of sugar a day – less than a single can of Coca Cola – according to long-awaited and final recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.
Public health minister Jane Ellison said that SACN’s report confirmed that “as a nation we eat and drink too much sugar” adding that the Government would accept its recommendations, which include halving our sugar consumption from 10 per cent of our daily energy intake to five per cent.
For an adult this equates to 30g, or seven sugar cubes. For children aged seven to 10, only 24g is recommended and for those aged four to six, just 19g.
A 330ml can of Coca Cola contains 35g of sugar.
SACN’s report, ordered by the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency, examined the latest evidence of links between carbohydrates, sugars, starch and fibre in our diet, and a range of health outcomes.
