WASHINGTON—Federal labeling, dietary guidelines, and marketing rules are not protecting small children—from birth to 5 years old—from the health risks of added sugar in food, according to the report “Hooked for Life: How Weak Policies on Added Sugars Are Putting a Generation of Children at Risk,” released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
“Many foods meant for young children have nutrition labels based on adult diets,” said Genna Reed, report author and science and policy analyst at UCS. “We know that consuming too much added sugar increases the risk of serious health problems, but it’s even more dangerous for children under five because they have lower-calorie diets and their dietary habits are still developing. Parents need better information to help them keep their kids healthy.”
In May, the FDA approved a new nutrition label for food that includes a clear indication of how much sugar the manufacturer has added to the product and a percent daily value for it based on a newly set reference value of 50 grams of added sugar per day for adults and 25 grams for children between 1 and 3 years old.
“The FDA’s revised label is a huge win for transparency and public health but it will still mean that a four year old’s daily value is based on adults’ daily calories,” said Reed. “ Parents should choose what their kids eat based on standards that have kids’ health in mind, not adults."
The UCS report also calls on the FDA to amend the rules that allow companies to make health claims on food labels so if a product contains a high amount of added sugar it cannot bear language that may mislead consumers.
Source: www.ucsusa.org