New app tells consumers the sugar levels of food and drink

A new free app from England’s public health agency informs consumers of the sugar content of various foods and drink.

Public Health England’s Sugar Smart app displays the equivalent sugar content of products when consumers scan the barcodes printed on pack. The organisation is currently working to add as many products as possible to the app.

The aim is to help reduce the prevalence of tooth decay, obesity and type two diabetes, and the app has been launched alongside Public Health England’s existing Change4Life campaign, which seeks to help promote an active and healthy lifestyle. It is available on both Google Play and the App Store.

Public Health England chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone said that children were consuming too much sugar as part of their diets.

She told the BBC: “If there’s one thing I’d strongly encourage parents to do, and that’s to swap sugary drinks out of their kids’ diets for either a low-sugar drink or water or low-fat milk, which would be a really excellent choice.”