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Charity calls for the removal of packaging that appeals to children from unhealthy cereals and yoghurts packed with sugars

2 mins read Children's dentistry Diet and nutrition
Action on Sugar research, based at Queen Mary University of London, has revealed that both breakfast cereals and yoghurts, with packaging that appeals to children, have unnecessary amounts of sugars – with some products containing the equivalent of up to four teaspoons of sugar (per suggested serving). That’s despite breakfast cereals and yoghurts having celebrated the largest reductions in sugars between 2015 and 2020 (14.9 per cent and 13.5 per cent respectively) as part of the government’s Sugar Reduction Programme – which is still shy of the 20 per cent target they were supposed to achieve.

Given that only nine cereals and six yoghurts surveyed were found to be low in sugars and only four cereals were low in both sugars and salt, the expert group is calling for the complete removal of packaging that appeals to children from these products that are high or medium for sugars, salt and/or saturated fat.

Kawther Hashem, a registered nutritionist and campaign lead at Action on Sugar, said, “It’s ludicrous that whilst breakfast cereals and yogurts celebrate the largest reductions in sugars during the Sugar Reduction Programme, those same products with child-appealing packaging still have excessive amounts of sugars, unsuitable for regular intake by children.

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