A new food labelling campaign has been developed to award a ‘Sugarwise’ logo to foods which are low in added sugar.
Eligible foods receive the logo following a test which distinguishes between a product’s total sugar and added sugar content.
The idea was proposed by mother Rend Platings, who told Sky News she struggled to find food for her daughter which she knew was low in sugar.
“When I looked at toddler and baby foods I was shocked to see the amount of sugars in them,” she said.
There you are thinking you’re getting the best thing for your baby but some of the products are actually really high in sugars.”
Government nutrition experts say added sugars should make up just 5% of a person’s daily calorie intake.
University of Cambridge research scientist Dr Tom Simmonds advise on the test and told Sky News that the majority of the population far exceeded the 5% added sugar guideline amount and as a result obesity and sugar-related illness rates were soaring.
“Because of this, we developed the Sugarwise test and certification to let people make simple and informed decisions.”
However, the campaign’s effectiveness has been brought into question.
