Added sugar labelling action needed

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added sugar labelling
Copyright: shakzu / 123RF Stock Photo

Consumer group CHOICE, with the support of the Australian Dental Association (ADA), has launched a national campaign encouraging consumers to demand Health Ministers across the country include added sugar labelling on food packs.

Health Ministers are due to meet later this month to discuss possible labelling reforms after delaying a decision for six years.

“Ministers across Australia have dragged their feet on reform to deal with sugar in Australian diets for too long. We need Health Ministers to force the food industry to give Australians basic information about how much added sugar is in their food,” CHOICE spokesperson Katinka Day said.

“With dental services costing Australians $9.9 billion a year, our Health Ministers’ ongoing failure to act on added sugar labelling on food packs is causing a direct hit to hip pockets, and that’s not even considering the long-term health and dental impacts associated with added sugar.

“For too long, consumers have been denied basic information on added sugar. It’s essential that people can easily tell the difference between foods with naturally occurring sugars, like lactose in yoghurt, and added sugars which have virtually no nutritional benefits.”

With one third of Australian children suffering from tooth decay by age six, and added sugars being a key cause, CEO of the ADA Victorian Branch Professor Matt Hopcraft added that is important for consumers to have access to information on food labels that helps them make healthy choices.

“Australian teenagers are consuming on average 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, well above the six teaspoons recommended by the World Health Organization,” he said.

The campaign will see consumers given the phone numbers for Health Ministers across the country, along with a series of talking points to help them communicate their message.

To call your Health Minister ahead of the Forum on Food Regulation meeting on 24 November, which will decide if added sugar will be labelled on food products, visit the campaign website.

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