Today has seen a new campaign launch by Change 4 Life, the government's public health initiative, aimed at reducing the amount of sugar that children consume.
The free Sugar Smart App can tell you the amount of sugar in items by scanning the barcode, and then displaying the result as a number of cubes or in grams. Parents are being urged to download the app as a way of revealing the hidden sugar content in foods, and to make us more aware of what our children are consuming.
The figures make for scary reading for parents, as it is reported that young children are currently eating three times more sugar than they should. Change 4 Life say that on average children aged four to ten years old are consuming 22kg of added sugar a year. That's about 5,500 sugar cubes, which is more than the weight of an average five-year-old child.
Public Health England which runs the Change 4 Life campaign hopes the Sugar Smart app and campaign will help combat tooth decay, obesity and type two diabetes and encourage families to choose healthier alternatives.
What do you think of this campaign? Will you be downloading the free app and trying to make healthier choices for your children? Do you think it's a positive thing to try and make parents more aware of hidden sugars in fruit juice, cereals, yoghurts and other foods?
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