Calls for banning cereal and yogurt producers from utilizing cartoon characters on the packaging surfaces of their products have been rejected today.
Influential experts want companies to implement plain packaging for cereals and yogurts that are high in sugar. Obesity activists assert that products containing up to four teaspoons of sugar are designed to attract children through the use of characters, animations, and vibrant colors. Some businesses even use Spider-Man and Disney characters like Stitch to attract children.
However, health minister Will Quince referred to Action on Sugar’s proposal as a “nanny-state intervention” and stated that plain packaging would be an overreach. Action on Sugar, which is based at Queen Mary University of London, contrasted cereals and yogurts distributed by various British companies.
It was discovered that 47% of cereals and 65% of yogurts contained a third of the recommended daily maximum sugar intake for children aged four to six, excluding milk.
Health officials recommend that children ages 4 to 6 consume no more than 19 grams of added sugar per day, or five teaspoons. These are sugars added to food or beverages, as opposed to naturally occurring sugars. The food system requires drastic changes, including the responsible marketing of food and beverages to minors.
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Action on Sugar Calls for Ban on Child-Appealing Packaging
Currently it is the time for companies to be required to eliminate child-appealing packaging coming from goods that mislead parents and make kids unhealthy and ill, given the increasing number of kids and teens with weight-related health issues and tooth decay as the primary reason for hospitalization for children.
Based on the Department of Health’s nutrition guidelines, Action on Sugar wants companies to remove cartoon characters, animations, and vibrant colors from foods rated high or medium for sugar, sodium, or saturated fat.
Christopher Snowdon of the Institute for Economic Affairs said that the government is correct in rejecting this policy. A few years ago, Chile unsuccessfully attempted something comparable.
According to the government’s own nutrition standards, many of our cereals, including Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Coco Pops, and Special K Original, are classified as non-high in fat, salt, and sugar (non-HFSS). Four of our top five cereals do not contain HFCS.’
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Source: Daily Mail, NY Breaking
