Looks like their days are numbered.
According to reports, UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is planning a review on sugary sweets and seems to be setting out to target mainly institutions that allocate refillable fizzy drinks, and sweets that are advertised by cartoon characters.
Whitehall is battling to prevent “licensed characters, cartoon characters and celebrities” from advertising junk food and Ministers led by Hunt are looking into the prospect of a blanket ban that could see Percy Pigs, along with Frosties (national icon Tony the Tiger) and Honey Monster Puffs (the Honey Monster), completely banned for a new, less sugary, completely repackaged alternative.
Marks & Spencer began selling Percy Pigs over 25 years ago, and they haven’t been stocked in the guilt lanes (the bit before the checkout where children tug on their parent’s coattails) since 2015.
According to The Sun, National Obesity Forum chair Tam Fry has said the following: “I’m thoroughly pleased at the prospect of cartoon characters being divorced from junk food.
“We need to associate these popular children’s characters with in-your-face good food.”
Figures show around 22,000 children now leave Primary School obese and Theresa May did launch an obesity plan in 2016 which, obviously, failed as it was immediately dismissed as weak by campaigners.
Just last month, the European Commission officially approved Ireland’s sugar-sweetened drinks tax, meaning that the price of soft drinks is set to go up as a direct result.
The Commission gave its approval after it was found that the measure’s scope and design are consistent with Ireland’s health objectives of combating obesity in children and adults, along with other sugar-related diseases.
The tax will now apply to drinks with a sugar content of five grams or more.
According to Safe Food, one in every four children in Ireland in 2018 is overweight or obese.
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