UK: Children consume way too much sugar despite cutbacks over the last decade, PHE survey finds

Children have cut back on sugary drinks by around one third over the past ten years, which shows that messages about consuming too much sugar are having some effect, but the latest survey results from Public Health England (PHE) make for stark reading as youngsters are generally eating too much sugar and fat and too little fresh fruit and vegetables, while fiber intake is around one third lower than advisable.

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) rolling program is a continuous, cross-sectional survey designed to collect detailed, quantitative information on the food consumption, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general population aged 1.5 years and over living in private households in the UK.

Fieldwork began in 2008 and the latest survey results come just weeks before Britain introduces its sugar tax on April 6 with essentially two bands of products: A lower rate of 18 pence per liter for drinks with a total sugar content between 5-8g per 100ml and a higher rate of 24 pence per liter for drinks with total sugar more than 8g per 100ml.

Drinks with a sugar content lower than 5g per 100ml will not be subject to the levy and a similar scheme is also coming into force in Ireland.

PHE’s diet and nutrition survey – what do the results show?
Progress has been made since the survey results of 2008-2010 with sugar consumption dropping 6 percent in children aged between four and ten to 14g a day, the equivalent of three and a half teaspoons.

Children are drinking less sugary drinks compared with ten years ago, however much more work needs to done to encourage a greater sugar reduction in the diets of the UK population, particularly children as many age groups are consuming more than double the recommended amount of sugar.

Boys and girls aged four to 10 years and 11 to 18 years, and men aged 19 to 64 years all had a significantly lower intake of free sugars as a percentage of total energy intake in years 7 and 8 (combined) of the survey which represents 2014/15-2015/16, compared with years 1 and 2 (combined), which was ten years ago.

The percentage meeting the recommendation of no more than 5 percent of daily total energy intake from free sugars was 13 percent for children aged 1.5 to three years, 2 percent of children aged four to 10 years and 5 percent of children 11 to 18 years. Meanwhile, 13 percent of adults aged 19 to 64 years and 13 percent of adults aged 65 years and over met the recommendation.

According to PHE, the main source of free sugars in children aged 1.5 to three years and four to 10 years was cereal and cereal products (31 percent and 33 percent respectively), followed by soft drinks and fruit juice’ (21 percent and 22 percent respectively).

And then comes “sugar, preserves and confectionery” (20 percent and 23 percent respectively). For children aged 11 to 18 years, soft drinks provided the main source of free sugars (33 percent), followed by cereal and cereal products’ (29 percent) and ‘sugar, preserves and confectionery’ (21 percent).

Within the “non-alcoholic beverages” group fruit juice contributed 12 percent, 11 percent and 10 percent to free sugar intake in children aged 1.5 to three years,  fours to 10 years and 11 to 18 years respectively.

The main sources of free sugars in adults aged 19 to 64 years were ‘sugar, preserves and confectionery’ (25 percent), cereal and cereal products (24 percent) and
‘non-alcoholic beverages’ (21 percent).

Earlier this month, PHE and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) unveiled a new plan to help people cut excessive calories from their diets, as part of the government’s strategy to curb childhood and adult obesity.

The health bodies are challenging the food industry to reduce calories in products consumed by families by 20 percent by 2024.

Through the “One You” campaign, adults are encouraged to consume 400 calories at breakfast, and 600 for lunch and dinner. Currently, UK adults are consuming 200 to 300 calories in excess each day.

The government’s challenge to the food industry is set out in “Calorie reduction: the scope and ambition for action.” Read the full story on our sister website, Nutrition Insight, here.

The British Soft Drinks Association welcomes the results of PHE’s survey, claiming it demonstrates how much work has gone into reformulation in the industry.

“We welcome the news from the NDNS data showing sugar intake from soft drinks down 15 percent in four to 10-year-olds and 11 percent in 11 to 18-year-olds since 2012,” said Gavin Partington, BSDA Director-General.

“It reflects in large part of the action soft drinks companies have been taking for several years – reformulation to cut sugar content, increased investment in promoting new low and no-calorie products plus smaller pack sizes.”

“In 2015 soft drinks became the only category to set a 20 percent calorie reduction target by 2020 and we are well on course to achieving it.”