Diets of under 5s in the UK are not meeting recommended standards, report warns

A review into the current diet of young children in the UK has found that those aged 1 to 5 years are being failed across many nutritional standards.The report by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) warned that the average total dietary energy, sugar, saturated fat, protein, and salt intakes for 1 to 5 year olds were all above the recommended levels. Meanwhile, the average dietary fibre intake was below the suggested amount.Children from lower socioeconomic households and some ethnic groups were found to be at risk of inadequate levels of iron, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin D. Consumption of vegetables and fruit also decreased as deprivation increased.The findings come as the World Health Organization called for countries to implement mandatory regulation to protect children from the harmful effects of marketing that promotes products high in saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, and salt.1“Aggressive and pervasive marketing of…
Read Original Article: Diets of under 5s in the UK are not meeting recommended standards, report warns »