Oral health charity calls for action on sugar consumption

A leading oral health charity has backed a campaign calling for action to tackle the severe impact that sugar consumption is having on oral health nationwide.

The British Dental Health Foundation is fully supporting new proposals made by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in his campaign Jamie's Sugar Manifesto, which calls for changes at the highest level to address this growing problem.

Suggested measures include a 20p levy per litre on every soft drink containing added sugar, with legislation to allow the government to set mandatory sugar guidelines for the food and drinks industry, and penalties for non-compliance.

Other ideas include an extension of the regulations banning junk food marketing on TV until the late evening and the creation of more robust digital marketing regulations on junk food to cover all non-broadcast media, as well as better information about sugar content on food packaging.

The British Dental Health Foundation has backed all of these ideas, citing the fact that tooth decay is the number one reason for hospitalisation in children in the UK.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the charity, said: "We believe that if decisive action is not taken soon, then all of our dental health, not just children's, will continue to suffer the consequences."