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Britain Bans the Sale of Caffeinated Drinks to Children

by Rishika Gupta on Jun 25 2018 5:15 PM

 Britain Bans the Sale of Caffeinated Drinks to Children
The Britain government has banned the sale of High energy coffee loaded drinks to children to bring down childhood obesity; This ban has come as a result of a new study, which says that nearly a quarter of 6 to 9-year-olds consumed these drinks at large.
At the same time, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also plans to tackle pester-power by preventing stores from displaying unhealthy foods at checkouts or including them in buy-one-get-one-free deals, officials said on Sunday, Xinhua reported.

The new measures are aimed at helping halve childhood obesity by 2030.

The Department of Health and Social Care is also going to consult on introducing clear, consistent calorie labeling on menus in restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, so parents can make an informed choice about what their families are eating.

The government has called on industry to recognize the harm that adverts for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt can cause.

It will consult on introducing new TV and online advertising restrictions to prevent children from being targeted by unhealthy products and to incentivize companies to reduce the sugar and calories in the products they sell.

New measures could include extending the current advertising watershed and considering limiting the number of unhealthy food adverts shown during children's programs.

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The second chapter of a national obesity plan will promote a new national ambition for every primary school to adopt a daily "active mile" initiative.

Hunt said: "The cost of obesity, both on individual lives and our NHS, is too great to ignore. Today we are taking steps to ensure that by 2030, children from all backgrounds have the help they need for a healthier, more active start in life."

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Public Health Minister Steve Brine said: "One in three children are now overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school. Dangerous overconsumption, combined with reduced activity, is having a catastrophic effect on our children's health, limiting their potential and putting them at risk of a shorter life."

"We all have a responsibility to act before we lose a generation of young people to this entirely avoidable epidemic. We can't afford to waste time, which is why we're committing to halve obesity in the next 12 years with bold new action."

Source-IANS


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