The managing director of leading children’s food brand Organix has warned that food industry self-regulation is failing.
Anna Rosier’s comments come in the week that Organix launches its No Junk Challenge which challenges parents to cook for their children using ‘real ingredients’ and encourages children to make good food choices.
The company also published the findings of a new survey that found fewer than one in 10 mothers trust the food and drink industry to make products that are good for their children.
The Mumspanel survey of 700 mums found that two thirds wanted to see a legislative clampdown on unhealthy products, while 71% said food firms were motivated more by profit than the health of children.
The No Junk Campaign also throws a spotlight on several leading brand products said to contain unhealthy products or make unjustified claims to be ‘healthy’.
Despite food industry claims to have made their products healthier, nearly half of best-selling children’s brands are high in fat, salt and sugar says Organix. Some breakfast cereals aimed at children contain as much as 37g of sugar per 100g it says.
Rosier said: “We know that parents want to give their children good, healthy and nutritious food – but it’s not always easy to make good choices.
“Our children are targeted with foods that are often high in salt, fat and sugar and it feels like you need a special qualification to understand all the ingredients and E numbers.
“We’re calling for the Government and the food industry to provide stricter controls on the levels of added salt, fat and sugar and artificial additives in children’s food. We also need clear, easy to understand labelling that will help parents choose the best for their children.”
In a Saturday Essay piece for The Grocer, Rossier added: “Self-regulation (of the food industry) is obviously failing the next generation if we are facing rapidly growing obesity levels, diabetes and heart disease. If we want to do the right thing for society and for children this is a major challenge that should keep us all awake at night.”
