New sugar campaign slammed as a 'farce'

Claims by Brighton and Hove City Council to be the “first UK city to tackle sugar addiction” were described as a “farce”

after council chiefs said they would “ go with the flow of the debate” on sugar consumption.

A council press statement said the initiative would have five aims: sugar smart schools, sugar smart restaurants, a levy on sugary drinks, sugar smart vending and sugar smart checkouts.

But the scheme was criticised after Tom Scanlon, Director of Public Health Brighton, only mentioned starting “a conversation” at the scheme’s launch yesterday morning, and could not list any further meetings or actions he will be taking on the plan.

Emma Wells, a nutritional therapist from Hove, said: “If none of these changes are even in the pipeline to be discussed then this a farce.”

Meanwhile an investigation by The Argus showed that 17 of the 21 vending machines in the city’s leisure centres, administered by Freedom Leisure on behalf of the council, sell nothing but chocolate bars, crisps and fizzy sugary drinks.

The press launch event yesterday morning included video presentations by schoolchildren and a video piece from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, but included no specific action points for the campaign.

And it was revealed that the scheme is only intended to last the remaining twenty-five days of this month.

Mr Scanlon said had no meetings scheduled with restaurant representatives over a proposed sugar levy on sugary drinks.

“We will get some co-operation I’m sure from restaurants and supermarkets,” he said.

A 10 sugar levy on drinks, improved vending machine options, and sweet-free supermarket checkouts have been publicised as being goals of the campaign.

But of the supermarket chains who have not already made that change, organisers could only say: “We’re not in conversation, but we’d like to be.”

The council claimed that leisure centres had already taken action with a “healthy eating” vending program being piloted.

But in fact, at the Withdean sports complex at the centre of their claims, The Argus found that the three “healthy” vending machines were in addition to five selling sugary drinks, crisps and chocolates.

And so-called healthy options in the new machines included salty and sugary snacks like pretzels and yoghurt-coated dried fruit.

PLEDGE TO COMBAT SUGAR CONSUMPTION

THE Argus discussed the initiative’s aims point-by-point with Tom Scanlon, Brighton and Hove’s director of public health.

The initial goals of the campaign are to discuss what should best be done about sugar consumption with school groups, restaurants and customer groups.

Dr Scanlon, pictured, has been working on the scheme and said a conversation online between interested parties would focus around the #sugarsmartcity Twitter hashtag, after media coverage of the debate.

But the campaign also aims for “action on sugary drinks and snacks” in schools.

When asked what action was planned, he replied: “We will have that conversation with Eden [who provide meals to schools].”

But he could not confirm who he would speak to at Eden, who from the public health team would conduct the conversation or when it would take place.

He said that longstanding commitments would achieve the goal of introducing food education programmes to every primary school in Brighton and Hove.

He said: “We have planned action with schools. That stuff is happening now and will get better.”

Dr Scanlon promised these long-planned programmes would be taking place in schools through- out this autumn term.

On the promise to take action on ingredients, information and labelling in restaurants, he said: “We will get some co-operation, I’m sure, from restaurants and supermarkets. That will be a discussion with restaurants. I don’t see it as hot air. I see it as a conversation with people. If we already had the answers, we wouldn’t need a conversation.”

Dr Scanlon stressed that a planned sugar levy to be charged on sugary drinks in the city’s restaurants had come from Jamie Oliver’s involvement with the campaign.

Restaurants are being invited to join in, with the proceeds from the 10p “sugar levy” going to the Children’s Health Fund, supporting health and education programmes.

“That’s on our list because the Jamie Oliver people are working with us. I don’t have a problem with it but I think to frame the debate just about tax is wrong,” he said.

The campaign promises action on vending machines but when asked what action will be forthcoming, and when, Dr Scanlon said: “The action will follow the conversation. There will be action but it will emerge.”

He added: “I think you should hold fire and see where we are at at the end of October.”

But he said that existing offers are “very disappointing”.

The campaign’s final aim is to spread sugar-free checkouts to every supermarket in the city.

But no one from the public health team has yet spoken to any representatives of any super- market who have not already made this change voluntarily.

When asked whether these conversations were planned, he said: “We will be speaking to them.

“I don’t have anything in my diary but these things will happen. I don’t see it being a problem.”

SWEET MESSAGE FROM JAMIE ON CITY’S PLAN

BRIGHTON & Hove’s #SugarSmartCity initiative was launched with a special message from Jamie Oliver yesterday morning.

On a recorded video, Mr Oliver, pictured above, praised the “lovely people” of the city for “leading the debate as usual” on issues of the environment and public health.

The council’s press department claimed the scheme made Brighton and Hove “the first city in the UK to tackle sugar addiction”. 

There are five key actions and results #SugarSmartCity aims to achieve:

1 Sugar Smart Schools: Hear the views of parents, teachers and pupils; Action on sugary drinks and snacks; Food education programmes being introduced to every primary school in Brighton and Hove.

2 Sugar Smart Cafe / Restaurant / Takeaway: Hear the views of staff and customers; Take action on ingredients, information and labelling; Make water freely available; Sign up for a healthy choice Sugar Smart award

3 Sugar Levy: Restaurants and food outlets to sign up to support the Children’s Health Fund by introducing a sugary drinks levy on all soft drinks with added sugar.

4 Sugar Smart vending: Action on vending machines in local authority and healthcare settings to provide healthy options.

5 Sugar Smart checkouts: Sugar Smart checkouts being rolled out by every supermarket across the city.

MOTHER PRAISES COUNCIL’S SHAPE UP HEALTH SCHEME

TONI Galea and her daughter Aaliyah, 12, pictured above, were at the launch event for #SugarSmartCity initiative at the Jubilee Library on Monday morning.

Miss Galea spoke highly of the Family Shape Up council scheme to improve the health an nutritional understanding of young people which she and her daughter attended over the summer.

But she was not as impressed by SugarSmart.

She said: “Shape Up was absolutely amazing.

“She wasn’t too keen on going but we went and it was absolutely amazing.”

Miss Galea works as a ‘play leader’ organising extra-curricular activities for children in schools.

She said that Aaliyah’s confidence and awareness benefited from the 12 week course.

“She lost half a stone but that wasn’t really the focus of why she went. She feels more confident now and she watches what she eats all the time now, reads the packaging, not just the front of the packets but the fine print.”

Miss Galea and her daughter also attend “Shape Up in the Kitchen”, which costs £10 for a five week course.

Once a week they cook a meal from scratch, learning about food and nutrition as well as picking up cooking skills.

She added: “They should put more into what they’re doing at the moment because the results are good.”

Ms Galea said the launch had left her feeling it was light on details.

She added: “I think the best way to promote this is through children, it should be around ‘Shape Up’.”