(31-08-10) Recent Study Finds High Sugar Content in Snacks for Children

by Christine Roberts, citizen journalist


A recent study on 186 food products intended to be consumed by children found
many toddler snacks and cereals to contain remarkably high amounts of sugar.
The study was conducted by Charlene Eliott culture and communications professor
at the University of Calgary.

The study reviewed cereal bars, fruit snacks and cookies finding that over
half of the items had an "excessive portion" of calories contributed from
sugar.

Of the products studied, forty percent were found to have different types of
sugars listed within the first four ingredients on the package. They could be
found by many names including glucose, fructose, galactose, honey, corn syrup
and dextrose.

It can be a wide assumption by parents and caregivers that baby and toddler
products are manufactured under a higher code of standards. "Many parents
mistakenly assume that baby and toddler specialty items are held to a higher
standard and are healthier for children to consume than adult food" said
University of Calgary professor Charlene Elliott.

Recommended guidelines set out by The American Heart Association suggests that
adults contain their consumption of added sugars to six teaspoons a day for
woman and nine for men, though guidelines for infants and toddlers are not set.

"When you`ve got this push to take sugars out of the diets of adults, why are
these types of foods then being marketed to young children?" wondered Elliott.

A large amount of the products in the study were found to be geared towards
adult tastes encouraging children's taste buds at a very early age to begin to
recognize certain flavours. Many of the foods in the study were found to have
worse food equivalency than similar adult snacks.

Many food manufacturers know that fast snacks, cereals and table ready meals
appeal to busy parents and caregivers because of their ease of use. They also
know that a colourful package with a friendly character on it can increase a
child's interest in a product.

Out of the 186 food items studied, simple purees of vegetables and fruits as
well as infant formula were not a part of the research.

Dieticians are recommending parents and caregivers read food labels carefully
and lead by example with healthy food habits.

Andrea Holwegner of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting said "Parents will often
say, `My kids won`t eat broccoli.` My first question is, `Do you?` The apple
doesn`t fall far from the tree."

The study Sweet and salty: nutritional content and analysis of baby and
toddler foods by Charlene Elliott is available on the Journal of Public Health
website at: http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.or...

Sources

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/...

http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/june201...

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20...

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