FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Food

Kids Are Eating Half Their Daily Sugar Allowance at Breakfast

Public Health England warns that cereal, spreads, and juice are the main sugary suspects.
Photo via Flickr user Shaun Bascara

Sugary breakfasts over the festive season are almost obligatory. You know the drill—a fistful of Quality Street one day, half a Chocolate Orange the next, then a feast of chocolate coins and Buck's Fizz on the big day itself. Not a bad effort for before 11 AM.

While most of us aim for a more healthy start to the day once the final chocolate selection boxes have been plundered, a new study carried out by Public Health England (PHE) has found that sugar-laden breakfasts are the norm for a worrying number of British children. Experts warn that this is contributing to the country's childhood obesity problem.

Advertisement

READ MORE: One Third of British Kids Leaves Primary School Obese or Overweight

Published today, the PHE study found that kids consume half their recommended daily allowance of sugar—equivalent to more than 11 grams of the white stuff—at breakfast. By the end of the day, children have had three times the NHS recommendations of 19 grams for four- to six-year-olds and 24 grams for seven- to ten-year-olds.

And it's not because kids are sneaking sweets to the table.

The PHE survey, which asked 200 parents of children aged between four and ten about their kids' breakfast habits, found that highly sugary cereals, drinks, and spreads were popular. Despite the high sugar content in these items, 84 percent of parents thought their kids were having healthy breakfasts.

In a statement to MUNCHIES, a spokesperson for Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of more than 30 health charities and campaign groups, warned that picking up bad eating habits such as sugary breakfasts in childhood has serious implications for later life.

The spokesperson said: "Eating and drinking too much sugar, including at breakfast, increases a child's risk of becoming overweight or obese. Obese children are around five times more likely to become obese adults, and obese adults are more likely to develop serious health conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, cancer, liver, and heart disease."

READ MORE: Britain Just Banned Online Junk Food Ads That Target Children

The PHE study comes after a number of recent efforts by the Government to prevent kids from becoming overweight. In August, ministers released the long-awaited childhood obesity strategy, which included plans for a soft drinks levy and last month, a ban was introduced on junk food ads aimed at children across all media.

But as the PHE study shows, more may need to be done change children's eating habits for the better.