Charlton Athletic Community Trust has teamed up with Charlton Athletic Football Club and its caterers DNC to take action to combat the borough’s rise in childhood obesity by pledging support for the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Sugar Smart Cities initiative.
Sugar Smart is a campaign started by TV chef Jamie Oliver to increase awareness of the dangers of eating too much sugar and reduce its consumption in the UK.
More than 40 per cent of children in Greenwich 10-11 years old are overweight or obese; which is worse than both the England and London averages.
But this is not just a local problem. Children and adults around the UK are consuming two to three times the recommends amount of sugar, which is leading to high rates of tooth decay, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.
The Sugar Smart Greenwich scheme seeks to change this and create environments that allow people to make healthier, lower sugar choices and help halt the devastating harm caused by sugary food and drinks.
CACT, CAFC and DNC have pledged to immediately remove sugar from its hot drinks stands, leaving sweeteners for those who wish to add it to their tea or coffee.
Further pledges include:
- Displaying information on sugar content of drinks in The Valley concourse and actively promoting drinking water to help fans make healthier choices
- Promoting Sugar Smart messages widely among fans and working with suppliers to encourage them to do the same
- Developing and promoting healthier meal options for the start of the 2017/18 season
The Royal Borough of Greenwich is launching the initiative at The Valley this morning, with many organisations and schools attending to show their support and make their own pledges to become sugar smart.
Deb Browne, Head of Health Improvement at CACT said: “We’re thrilled that Charlton Athletic Football Club and DNC share our vision to make Greenwich a healthier borough. I’m really excited to get to work to help families in the borough make informed choices about their diet and hopefully improve their quality of life for years to come.
CAFC Club Development Manager Lisa Squires said: “Being Sugar Smart is very important for the club. We’re pleased to be joining forces with the Community Trust and DNC to give us the opportunity to reach thousands of families in Greenwich to help educate local people on the long-term dangers of sugar. Hopefully together we can help people to make healthier choices.”
Councillor David Gardner, who will be launching the scheme said: “It’s fantastic to see so many organisations around the borough are taking action to reduce sugar.