Schools to set up 'sugar boards' highlighting health risks of excess sugar intake for kids
Telegraph | 12 June 2025
• How concerned are you about the amount of sugar your child
consumes?
• How often does your child consume sugary drinks like soda and
sweetened juices
• Do you limit your child’s intake of sugary snacks or
drinks?
A survey conducted among parents of children aged between two and 15 in seven cities showed while 70 per cent of parents consider reducing sugar intake important, only 40 per cent have taken steps to do so and 60 per cent don’t have an idea on the consumption level.
The survey was conducted after a CBSE circular sent last month told schools to set up “sugar boards”, which will contain information about the risks of excessive sugar intake.
On Monday, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), too, asked schools to set up “visual information displays” aimed at educating students about the risk of excessive sugar intake.
“The rise of Type 2 diabetes in children is linked to excessive sugar consumption, especially from sugary snacks and drinks available in schools. Children aged 4 to 18 consume sugar well above the recommended limit of 5 per cent, increasing health risks like obesity and metabolic disorders,” the council said in the circular sent to school heads.
Unhealthy tiffin or unhealthy food sold in canteen have been a problem across schools.
These boards will regulate the marketing and sale of sugary products in and around schools, the council circular said.
“We need to create awareness because a section of parents are not aware and they also give in to the children’s demand,” said Suman Sood, national core committee member of the Early Childhood Association (ECA) and the Association for Preparatory Education & Research (Aper).
ECA caters to children up to eight years and Aper to children from nine to 15.
“This will help schools and parents adopt healthy policies. For younger children, it is the parents who have to be trained because the kids don’t know,” said Sood.
The survey by ECA-Aper was conducted among 10,000 parents in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Calcutta in May. Parents were sent online forms.
They conducted the parental survey to understand if parents were aware of the “excess sugar content that is part of children’s daily diet”.
The survey found that 60 per cent of parents were unaware of the daily recommended sugar intake for children.
“For children below two years of age, there should be no added sugar. For those up to 18, sugar intake should be less than 25g (six teaspoons) per day. Natural sugar in fruits, vegetables and milk is permissible and not included in the limit,” said Apurba Ghosh, director, Institute of Child Health.
Ghosh said that fruit juices, soft drinks, cakes, pastries, flavoured yogurt, ketchup and energy bars contain added sugar.
“The risk factors of excessive sugar intake are childhood obesity, tooth decay and Type 2 diabetes,” said Ghosh.
Behavioural issues are also a fallout of high sugar intake, Ghosh said. “Children become hyperactive,” he said.
CBSE, too, warned against Type 2 diabetes among children in its May circular to schools.
“Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in Type 2 diabetes among children, a condition once primarily seen in adults. This alarming trend is largely attributed to high sugar intake, often because of the easy availability of sugary snacks, beverages and processed foods within school environments,” the CBSE circular said.
“We need to create awareness because many times we see a piece of cake or pastry in the child’s tiffin because it is convenient for parents, too,” said Sood.
Often at home, children get used to soft drinks because their parents consume them.
“The children get a taste of it because adults introduce them to it — be it a soft drink or a pastry,” said a teacher.
In most schools, it is a practice to give candies or chocolates on birthdays. Canteens are also filled with unhealthy alternatives.
Last year, ECA-Aper had run a campaign on healthy tiffin and canteen.
“We want schools to put up healthy menus and we keep reinforcing that. It has to be an ongoing process and cannot be limited to any particular period,” said Sood.