The junk food generation: British children getting fatter at twice the rate of Americans



A shocking picture of the way children are gorging themselves on sweets, chocolates and snacks was revealed yesterday.

They are getting fat almost twice as quickly as American youngsters as they eat double the amount of sugary and savoury treats.

The disturbing figures suggest that Government efforts to turn back the tide of obesity overwhelming the country's children are failing.



Obese: British children eat double the amount of sugary and savoury treats as their American peers (file picture)

Independent research company Datamonitor said average annual spending on sweets and chocolates for children in this country is £372 - equivalent to around 850 Mars bars. That is more than double the £150 for American youngsters.

The amount spent on savoury snacks such as crisps is put at £73.24 in the UK, compared with £39.51 in the U.S.

British children also eat more sugary breakfast cereals, ice cream and ready meals.

More than one in three British children aged five to 13 are already overweight or obese.

But that figure is predicted to soar at a rate of 2.1 per cent a year through to 2014, far higher than the 1.3 per cent annual rise expected for the U.S.

And by 2014, some 38.6 per cent of UK youngsters - a total of 2.5million - will be too heavy.

The study comes despite a series of promises by food companies to improve their ingredients and reduce portion sizes of chocolate bars, fast food and crisps.



It will reawaken fears after MPs warned in 2004 that children were 'choking on their own fat' and said they would be 'the first generation to die before their parents as a consequence of obesity'.



The MPs on the Health Select Committee painted a woeful picture of large numbers of people being disfigured and blinded by weight-related diseases such as diabetes.



'The sight of amputees will become much more familiar in the streets,' it said. 'There will be many more blind people. There will be huge demand for kidney dialysis.'



Kidney failure, blindness and amputations can all result from diabetes.



Sweet tooth: Datamonitor said average annual spending on confectionery for children in the UK is £372 - equivalent to around 850 Mars bars

Social changes may be largely responsible for rising childhood obesity.



For example, with more mothers going out to work or unused to cooking, children often live on takeaways or ready meals.



If they are looked after by grandparents, they may be indulged with unhealthy treats.



An analysis of 12,000 three-year-olds suggested the risk of being overweight was 34 per cent higher if grandparents cared for them full time.



At the same time youngsters are taking less exercise but spending more time watching TV, playing computer games and on the internet.



Jackie Schneider, of the Children's Food Campaign, said: 'Childhood obesity is a very worrying trend. However we can do something about it.



'Banning junk food advertising on TV before the 9pm watershed, using traffic light labelling on food packaging and increasing eligibility of free school meals are effective ways of changing children's eating habits.

'Initiatives such as providing fresh drinking water in parks would also help children and families to make healthier choices.



'The problem we face is that many of these solutions are opposed by the food industry who see them as a threat to their profits. We need the Government to put the long-term health of our children first.'



However the Food and Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, rejected the Datamonitor predictions.



Spokesman Julian Hunt said Department of Health figures published earlier this year appear to show the historical rise in obesity levels among young children had 'levelled off'.



He said: 'Nobody is being complacent. We agree that childhood obesity levels are still too high in the UK and we look forward to working in partnership with the new Government on any initiatives designed to help consumers of all ages lead healthier lives.'



He said other studies suggested that fewer snacks and chocolate bars were now being bought.

