Stop the sugar rush
Published
Nine in 10 parents are calling for clearer labelling on kids’ vitamins after discovering many products are often sweets in disguise, filled with a teaspoon of added sugar, says children’s health brand Hiya. Their survey of 1,000 UK parents found 72 per cent mistakenly believe brands are legally required to disclose sugar content on packaging.
The findings suggest that many parents are unaware that products sold as ‘healthy’ may contain significant levels of sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Parents may assume children’s vitamins are required by law to clearly show sugar or artificial sweetener content, but this information can remain hidden due to current DHSC labelling exemptions.
NHS recommendation is that children aged 4–6 years consume no more than 19g of added sugar per day – meaning a single daily serving of some children’s gummy vitamins can use up close to a fifth of that limit before breakfast. Vitamins are now firmly embedded in daily routines across UK households. Half of parents give vitamins with breakfast, while others distribute them at dinner or at a set daily time. Nearly half of all parents give vitamins daily and a further 20 per cent every two to three days.
Dr Darria Long, paediatric ER physician, mother of three, and founder of No-Panic Parenting comments: ‘Parents are doing everything they can to make healthier choices, but most don’t have clear access into what’s actually in children’s vitamins. The overwhelming demand for clearer labelling shows this isn’t about alarmism, it’s about transparency. Parents want clarity, and the industry needs to catch up.’
Visit www.hiyahealth.com.
