High sugar levels in prepackaged beverages in Hong Kong

A test of prepackaged beverages conducted by the Hong Kong Consumer Council has shown that only 16 out 80 beverages covered in the test complied with new regulations for nutrition labelling and claims that will come into effect in July 2010. Drinks included carbonated drinks, fruit juice, soya drinks, chocolate and malt drinks, milk tea and coffee and sports and energy drinks. One instant coffee mix that bore a sugar-free claim turned out to contain 5.3g of sugar per 100g.

Another 10 samples displaying low-level sugar claims were found to contain sugar ranging from 0.3 to 49g per 100g. Drinking three to four 100ml bottles of a particular lactic acid beverage was enough to exceed the WHO agreed daily recommended intake of sugar of less than 10% of the total daily energy intake. The Consumer Council is urging manufacturers to refrain from making unfounded claims and to get up to speed with the new labelling restrictions.

Children’s lunchbox packed full of unhealthy food reveals Which?

Children’s lunchboxes can contain more than 12 teaspoons of sugar, says Which? in its latest investigation into the impact of junk food marketing on kids’ eating habits. Which? bought brand-leading items that fit into children’s lunchboxes, assessed their nutritional content and found that some products that give the impression of being healthy are in fact full of salt and sugar. One pack of Dairylea Lunchables Ham ‘n’ Cheese Crackers contains 1.8g of salt, more than half the daily allowance of a 4–6 year old. Each 200ml bottle of Fruit Shoot Orange Juice Drink is made up of 23g of sugar – almost five teaspoons. Almost a third (8g) of a 25g bar of Frosties Cereal Milk Bars is made up of sugar.

To help families to pick out healthier food, Which? wants to see robust rules on which products can make health and nutrition claims. This would stop manufacturers from making items that contain high amounts sugar, fat and salt appear healthier than they are.

French government’s move putting obesity policy to the sword

UFC-Que Choisir has strongly opposed a government attempt to brush France’s obesity prevention strategy under the carpet. Despite repeated public statements of support for the strategy, the new draft law of modernisation of agriculture plans to shift the management of the National Institute for Health Prevention and Education to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. UFC-Que Choisir thinks that this is totally wrong and would mean no less than assigning the management of official health campaigns to the food industry.

It is the latest trick in a long list by an industry desperate to block independent consumer education that could run contrary to its interests. UFC-Que Choisir’s President, Alain Bazot, said ‘Official health prevention messages cannot be held hostage by a ministry that is the food industry’s mouthpiece!’

Konfop sceptical about multinationals’ food marketing pledge to children

Leading Russian and international food companies have signed up to a pledge to stop the marketing of products high in sugar, salt and fat to children aged under 12 and to align their marketing practices in Russia with similar pledges in developed country markets such as the European Union and the United States.

Bol'shevik, Inmarko, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Mars, Nestle, PepsiCo, Kellogg’s/United Bakers, Unilever and Frito Lay Manufacturing all signed the agreement on 19 October, agreeing to start implementing it from 1 January 2010. The signatories have also agreed to promote physical activity and clear and easy-to-follow labelling information to help consumers to make an informed choice.

However, Konfop (Interrepublican Confederation of Consumer Societies) has welcomed this self-regulatory pledge with caution: like many voluntary pledges, the pledge stops short of banning advertising to children under 16. Furthermore the commitment to remove advertising from children’s TV programmes (where at least half the audience is under 12 years old) is meaningless since the share of children programmes is extremely small.

Obesity one of leading global risks for mortality

Global Health Risks, a new report from the WHO looks at 14 factors affecting health and identifies the top five global threats to health. Overweight and obesity is ranked at number five causing (5%) of global deaths - more than underweight. Together, the five risks identified are responsible for raising the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancers and cause one-quarter of the 60 million deaths estimated to occur annually. (i)

The study shows that in the case of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, eight factors - alcohol consumption, high blood glucose, tobacco use, high blood pressure, high body mass index, high cholesterol, low fruit and vegetable intake and physical inactivity - account for over 75% of cases, with most deaths occurring in developing countries.

It would seem obvious that positive messages about healthy eating and lifestyles and reducing children’s exposure to junk food advertising could play a key role in improving diet and combating many of these health challenges. The report found that tackling these five risk factors could increase global life expectancy by almost five years.

Read the full report here

(i) The other key risks identified by the report are: high blood pressure (responsible for 13% of deaths globally); tobacco use (9%);high blood glucose (6%);physical inactivity (6%)

Yale study reinforces calls for marketing code

A US study has found that industry regulation on marketing to children allows the least healthy cereals to be marketed the most forcefully.

Researchers from Yale’s Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity analysed 277 individual cereal varieties across 115 brands and found that cereals marketed directly to children have 85 per cent more sugar, 65% less fibre, and 60% more sodium than cereals marketed for adult consumption. The report also found that cereal companies spend almost $156m a year on advertising to children.

Despite the fact that all the 19 cereal brands that were marketed directly to children meet industry’s own standards for ‘better-for-you’ foods, none of them meet the nutrition criteria required to advertise to children in the United Kingdom.

This study demonstrates the problems with industry self-regulation and reinforces the need for a WHO code on the marketing of junk food to children.

Read the full report here

Unhealthy food given to children under 3 reveals IDEC

Recognising that labelling information about levels of sugar, salt and fat in food is insufficient and too complicated to allow parents to make healthier choices, IDEC one of CI's Brazilian members asked researchers from UNIFESP, the Paediatrics Department of the University of Sao Paulo, to convert amounts of sugar, salt and fat to measurable intakes for equivalent food portion sizes.

The study conducted with a sample of 270 parents whose children attend nurseries, found that foods such as instant noodles, sugar, fruit juice from concentrate and snacks are being offered to very young children - even babies under three months old. The researchers produced two tables showing the frightening amount of sugar, salt and fat present in twelve foods most frequently offered to children under one year of age by 67% of parents.

Of the 100 manufactured foods most consumed by children under three years, 23 have a high level of fat. Only 20 were found adequate. Seventy-seven went beyond the recommended salt level and 98% were found to be expensive when compared to the amount of rice, beans or milk that could be bought for the same cost.

Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (IDEC), BrasilWeb: http://www.idec.org.br and email:coex@idec.org.br