Salt and fat are also a problem
Food for children is still too sweet
07/04/2023 11:58 am
“With a spoonful of sugar…” says “Mary Poppins”. The Disney classic is almost 60 years old. Today children consume far too much of it. A reduction strategy by the federal government for healthier food can only achieve limited success, as current figures show.
Many convenience foods, like breakfast cereal and sweetened soft drinks, still contain a lot of sugar, research has found — especially foods made especially for children. For example, in children’s breakfast cereals, there was an average of 17 grams of sugar per 100 grams, like that federal Max Rubner Institute according to an evaluation for 2022 – the average of all breakfast cereals was 14.7 grams of sugar per 100 grams. Despite reductions in certain foods, the salt and fat content in soups, stews and instant meals is still high.
Federal Food Minister Cem Özdemir said: “Convenience products for children and adults must become healthier.” Eating a lot of it increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or obesity. “It is up to the companies themselves to improve recipes,” warned the Greens politician. He again campaigned for the planned ban on advertising unhealthier foods to children.
The Rubner Institute examined around 7,000 products for their fat, sugar and salt content. With regular monitoring, promises made by manufacturers to change ingredients for healthier foods are to be checked. The background is a strategy launched by the previous federal government According to which sectors commit to reducing sugar, fat and salt by 2025.