Porirua City Council has supported a submission for labelling to clearly show the amount of added sugar present in our food and drink.

The submission to the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation asks for better sugar labelling to help improve dental health, diabetes and obesity in young people and their families.

At a Council meeting last night, Acting Mayor Izzy Ford said clear labelling will help families make informed choices about the foods they eat and drink.

“One of Porirua’s strategic priorities is putting children and young people at the heart of our city and the health and wellbeing of our tamariki and rangatahi is important to us. We want our young people to grow up healthy and active and for their families to be well.

“So when some of our young people came to ask our council to provide healthy options - we listened.”

The Council recently adopted a Healthy Drinks Policy for city events and facilities after requests from young people to remove fizzy drinks and promote healthier options. A Healthier Foods Policy is in development.

Cr Ford said the Council also plays an advocacy role and the submission to improve labelling of sugars on packaged foods and drinks is an example of this.

“We want to make it easier for our communities to make informed choices. We support a pictorial option showing icons of teaspoons to represent sugar content because it is easy for children and young people to understand as well as their families.”

“We recognise that changes in labelling won’t necessarily lead to behaviour change but many small changes, including the changes we make as a council, collectively will have a positive impact over time.”

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