Families encouraged to be '˜Food Smart'

These are: • Download the free Be Food Smart app – the app can be downloaded from iTunes or Google Play. Use it to scan the barcode of products to reveal total sugar, saturated fat, and salt, • with the Be Food Smart school packs, • the launch of the Be Food Smart Challenge in West Sussex libraries. Be Food Smart is all about highlighting the surprising amount of sugar, saturated fat, and salt found in everyday food and drink and encourages parents to take control of their children’s diet. West Sussex’s Public Health team and West Sussex Library Service are supporting the new national Be Food Smart campaign, part of Change4Life. Children are encouraged to look out in libraries for the Be Food Smart Challenge with prizes for taking part in a food detective activity. Christine Field, cabinet member for community wellbeing at West Sussex County Council, said: “I would encourage parents to download the Be Food Smart App, which helps you choose healthier food and drink options for your family. Anything which makes healthy choices easier is worthwhile.” Childhood obesity is a serious concern with figures showing that more than a fifth of children in Reception (22.1 per cent) and more than a third of children in Year 6 (34.2 per cent) were classified as above a healthy weight in 2015/16 across West Sussex. The West Sussex Sugar Reduction Programme led by the county council recently won a national Public Health England award. Visit the Change4Life website http://po.st/C4L_West_Sussex for more information. Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.