The Children’s Health Fund was set up by the charity Sustain with the support of Jamie Oliver, and encourages restaurants to add a voluntary ‘sugary drinks levy’ of ten pence onto the price of any sugar-sweetened soft drinks that they sell. The money raised through the levy is being used to support initiatives that aim to improve our children’s health – for example by providing drinking fountains in parks and playgrounds, or by tackling the ‘holiday hunger’ experienced by many kids during the school holidays.
The Children’s Health Fund aims to:
• Raise awareness about the serious health problems being caused by over consumption of sugary drinks, such as tooth decay and type 2 diabetes
• Encourage people to see sugary drinks as an occasional treat rather than a part of their (or their children’s) everyday diet
• Support worthwhile initiatives working to improve our children’s health
• Show the Government that there is strong public support for a national sugary drinks levy
DID YOU KNOW?
• Multiple tooth extractions under general unaesthetic are the number one reason for children aged 5-9 to be admitted to hospital
• English children and teen consume on average three to four times the recommended limit of sugar every day
• Type 2 diabetes costs the NHS around £9 billion a year
GET INVOLVED!
For more information about the fund, go to www.childrenshealthfund.org.uk If you have any questions or would like to sign your hospitality business up, email Charlotte Jarman or call 020 7065 0902.
