FAMILIES in Worcestershire are being encouraged to take control of their sugar intake following revelations that four to 10-year-olds in the UK consume 22kg of sugar each year – the equivalent of the average body weight of a five-year-old.

A government Change4Life campaign called ‘Sugar Smart’ aims to encourage children to learn about the amount of sugar in everyday food and drinks and award-winning Great British Menu chef Glynn Purnell is backing the initiative.

As a father of three young children, Michelin starred chef Glynn Purnell felt it was important to support the ‘Sugar Smart’ campaign.

Glynn said: “As a lover of good food and a dad, reducing sugar consumption is something I’m passionate about, so I’m really pleased to support the new Change4Life Sugar Smart campaign. I think it’s incredibly important to not only highlight the harms of eating too much sugar, but also to show children low sugar options that they’ll really enjoy.

“My cooking is all about good ingredients cooked well – and I want people to know that a dish can be full of flavour and delicious while still being very healthy.

I hope I can inspire the youngsters and across the region to choose healthier foods and to realise there are lots of delicious things to eat that aren’t full of sugar.”

Five million Sugar Smart packs will be given away to primary age children and their families via schools, local authorities and retailers.

A new Sugar Smart app has been launched to help parents see how much sugar there is in everyday food and drink. The free app works by scanning the barcode of products and revealing the amount of total sugar it contains in cubes and grams.

Dr Carl Ellson, Chief Clinical Officer for NHS South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “There can be a very high amount of sugar in everyday foods and drinks that children consume. So it’s important that parents keep a close eye on the amount of sugar their children have on a daily basis.

“Too much sugar at an early age can increase the risk of developing serious health problems in later life, such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.

“The new Sugar Smart app is one easy way to control the amount of sugar that children and their families have.”

• A fifth of four-to five-year-olds and a third of 10 to 11-year-olds are overweight or obese. This means they are more likely to become obese adults who are prone to a range of life-threatening health problems, such as heart disease, some cancers and Type 2 diabetes. There are now 2.5 million people suffering from Type 2 diabetes, 90per cent of whom are overweight or obese.

• For more information about the Sugar Smart initiative visit https://www.nhs.uk/change4life-beta/campaigns/sugar-smart/home