Call to curb nation’s sweet tooth

The food body’s publication, The Scottish Diet: It needs to change, highlights the health risks of consuming too many calorific foods with little or no nutritional value. It also notes that nearly a quarter of the nation’s sugar intake comes from sugary drinks and 50 per cent from unhealthy foods that are heavily promoted in supermarkets.

The BDA has led calls for radical action to reduce the nation’s sugar intake, with measures ranging from lowering the recommended daily allowance and reformulating convenience foods, through to action on marketing, labelling and sales taxes.

Colwyn Jones, consultant in dental public health and member of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council, said:

“Scotland, like the rest of Britain, is addicted to sugar, and we are all paying the price. Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions among young children.

“The BDA believes the Government has a clear duty to send the strongest possible signal to retailers and the food industry in general, that while added sugar might be helping their sales, it is hurting their customers.