Children between the ages of 4 to 8 already consumed yearly sugar allowance

Eating too much sugar is a common phenomenon among many people, but especially between children the ages of four to eight, recent figures from the RIVM showed. This group is said to already have consumed the recommended maximum yearly amount of sugar, also known as the “sugar max day.”

The sugar max day was created by the research center Foodwatch. It indicates the day on which the yearly sugar allowance has been reached. Children between the ages of four to eight years old eat relatively the most sugar at an average of 31 kilos per year, according to figures by the RIVM.

To determine the sugar max day, Foodwatch follows the WHO guidelines for sugar intake which recommend no more than ten percent of your daily energy consumption comes from refined sugar. Preferably that percentage would even be around five. For adults, this means it is best to eat no more than 25 grams of sugar per day with a definite maximum of 50 grams.

“On the one hand, there are many sugary drinks such as sodas and dairy drinks but also many multi-vitamin drinks contain a lot of sugar”, a Foodwatch spokesperson told the NL Times. The breakfast favorite, cereal, also oftentimes packs a lot of sugar.

“Parents should be very cautious when reading the food labels. The relevant information is often printed in tiny letters on the back”, the Foodwatch spokesperson emphasized.

A high sugar intake is not only limited to children between the ages of four to eight. The data also showed that around 90 percent of children between the ages of 7 to 18 and 60 percent of adults exceed their recommended sugar intake.

Eating habits as a child can also have an impact on you as a grown-up. “If children start consuming too much sugar at a young age, these habits are likely to continue into their adult life.”

Foodwatch recommended that a sugar tax be introduced as has already been done in other countries such as France and Belgium. “And of course, we urge producers to start lowering the amount of sugar they put into their product”, the spokesperson said.