Dentists join call on football clubs to cut junk food links

In an open letter to the Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, the Irish Football Association, the Premier League, the English Football League, the Scottish Professional Football League, the Premier League Clubs, the EFL Championship Clubs, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DDCMS) signatories have requested the bodies end partnership deals with food and drink companies whose products are fuelling both tooth decay and obesity.

One in four football clubs in the Premier League currently have partnerships with junk food giants. The BDA has called on its members to join the call online.

The British Association of Dental Nurses, the professional association for dental nurses in the UK, has also backed the Sugar Smart campaign. Hazel Coey, president of the BADN, said, "The fact that nearly 43,000 children were admitted to hospital in England in 2016-17 for multiple teeth extraction, coupled with current levels of childhood obesity, now requires drastic action.  Football is the highest participation team sport in the country, and as such must take steps to protect children against the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks."