Misleading labels on children’s foods could be fuelling the obesity crisis.
The nutritional information on many products is actually based on the daily recommended allowance for adult women. This means the suggested portion sizes may be too large and have too many calories for children.
At seven, the recommended daily calorie allowance is 1 649 kcal for a boy and 1 530 kcal for a girl. This rises to 2 032 and 1 936 at ten. The guideline for women is 2 000 calories a day.
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Steve Williams from mydentist, a dental firm which campaigns for children’s health, said parents should be aware of the label problem – especially during Christmas.
The season of treats and indulgence, is here. It is likely that many were not even aware that foods they were regularly giving to their children were based on the calorific intake of an adult, he said.
He said although children were usually more energetic than adults they still need to avoid the empty calories that come with sweets and chocolate and have plenty of fruit, vegetables and protein instead.
Daily Mail