35 tsps of Sugar – in a Box of Cinema Popcorn
One of the UK’s top obesity experts has criticised cinemas for selling hugely sugary snacks, as reports suggest just one box of cinema popcorn can contain up to 35 teaspoons of sugar.
Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal Food Network, says she’s concerned at the ‘excessive’ sizes of cinema snacks and drinks, and she’s called on all cinema chains to offer clearer nutritional information, smaller packs and healthier alternatives.
With a large bucket of sweet cinema popcorn weighing at anything from 840 calories (at Cineworld) to 1005 calories (Odeon) and containing anything from 30 tsp (Cineworld) to 35 tsp (Vue), according to the Daily Mail, it’s quite possible that a cinemagoer who buys a large popcorn and a fizzy drink could consume the recommended allowance of sugar for an entire week before the film’s even ended.
Only a few days ago, the World Health Organisation announced they’ll be advising people to halve the amount of sugar in their diet, and recent evidence suggests most adults and children in the UK already eat more than the recommended limit of 6 teaspoons of sugar a day.
Professor Susan Jebb said, ‘High street food chains, caterers as well as entertainment companies all have a role to play to make it easier for people to make healthy choices. The least they should do is provide clear information on calories.’
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