Our ever shrinking sugary world!

So Public Health England are pushing back hard against childhood obesity by pressuring manufacturers to reduce the amount of refined sugar in their products by introducing artificial sweeteners. This seems to work fine with fizzy drinks, yogurts etc., but anything other than sugar in many of our favourite chocolate based treats results in a compromised taste profile.

Many chocolate bar manufacturers have offered to reduce their product size by 20% but continue with the existing sugar content as this represents the same target result of a 20% sugar reduction set by PHE for 2020. Large players such as Mars, Nestle and Cadbury’s are proposing this reduction and it remains to be seen if there is a corresponding reduction in price!

I have a funny feeling that in today’s plentiful society a 20% reduction in portion size may well tempt some greedy kids to dip in again for a second bar resulting in a real time 60% increase in consumption, and leading to both expanding waistlines for kids and increased turnover for the suppliers!

Not the end result PHE are looking for, but I think we have to accept that kids today are spoilt for choice and quantity, meaning portion size reduction may not be the solution, will power and parental control are the only likely means of success.