Comment in response to the Daily Mail article dated 9 May 2009

Source: Junk food children 'eating themselves into an early grave'

The statistics in this article are really frightening and should be a wakeup call to parents and the government. It is shocking to see that so many young children have high cholesterol, liver disease and high blood sugar levels at such a young age.

Schools, both primary and secondary, have made a lot of effort (Jamie Oliver led) in recent years to improve the standards of school dinners. Many primary schools also have strict rules about what is allowed in packed lunches and also teach about healthy eating and lifestyle as part of the curriculum. Although this is excellent policy this is not enough to ensure that children eat a healthy diet as there is a huge choice of junk food which is cheap, quick and easily accessible outside of school and in the home. Children will continue to opt for junk food unless they have had the opportunity to taste and enjoy healthy food and understand the reasons for avoiding high fat and high sugar food. Children learn by example from an early age and this means that it is initially the parent’s responsibility to provide a healthy diet. However if parents are unaware of the dangers of junk foods and how they will affect the health of their children then nothing will change.

I think it’s debatable as to whether a ‘fat tax’ would work as a deterrent. More importantly advertising of processed foods should be banned completely and the fat and sugar content of processed foods should be limited to a healthy level. It would also be helpful if all take away restaurants were obliged to display the level of fat and sugar in their foods. Parents need more information, education and in some cases support to ensure that they understand the dangers of junk foods and are able to make informed choices for their children. This will give our children the best start in life and stop the rush for junk food.

The Weight Management Foundation Nutritional Therapist: Cathy Castle BSc, Dip ION