Health officials are calling for the introduction of a pudding tax covering cakes, biscuits, sweets and other treats high in sugar as figures reveal that children in the UK exceed the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18-year-old by the time they are 10
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England (PHE), said that if the next set of results on children’s sugar intake, due to be released in Spring, does not show a significant improvement then a tax may be needed.
The pudding tax would work in a similar way to the sugar tax on soft drinks which was introduced last year and charges a levy on drinks which include a high-level of sugar.
Figures released by PHE today show that while children’s sugar intakes have declined slightly in recent years, they are still consuming around eight excess sugar cubes each day, equivalent to around 2,800 excess sugar cubes per year.
The recommended daily maximum of sugar for children aged four to six is five cubes or 19g. For children aged seven to 10 this rises to six cubes (24g) and up to seven cubes (30g) for those aged 11 and over.
However, UK children are consuming around 13 cubes or 52g of sugar a day, based on results from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
Report by Amy Austin
