Sugar Levels in kids' restaurant meals higher than new WHO guideline: U of T study
By
Jim Oldfield
University of Toronto researchers recently found that half of kids’ meals at chain restaurants exceed the World Health Organization’s new daily limit for added sugar — and that some account for several days’ worth of the daily allowance.
The WHO’s guideline, released today, recommends that for optimal health no more than five per cent of a person’s total calories for the day should come from added sugar. Five per cent of a child’s daily energy requirement is 22 grams of sugar — or six teaspoons.
“We were shocked to find such high levels of sugar in some of these meals,” said Mary Scourboutakos, a doctoral student in U of T’s Department of Nutritional Sciences and lead author of the study. “These results shed light on the issue of sugar in the food supply and suggest that Canada should consider some of the sugar-focused policies up for debate in other parts of the world.”
