FAMILIES in the South West are being invited to “Be Food Smart” when Public Health England’s (PHE) Change4Life roadshow comes to six towns and cities across the region.

The roadshow is set to come to Bridgwater on January 27 as well as venues in Bristol, Plymouth and Totnes.

The new initiative comes after recent reports show childhood obesity in England has reached alarming rates.

Trudi Grant, Somerset Director of Public Health said: "The new Be Food Smart app is great news for the health of our families and children in Somerset.

"It will help them to cut back on the sugar, saturated fat and salt found in everyday food and drink, helping to reduce childhood obesity and prevent tooth decay.

“We are really keen to support Somerset residents to eat healthily and be more active.

"Another good way is to use the Zing Somerset website.

"It’s a really useful resource that gives extra help and support to the families and communities that need it most."

Cllr Anna Groskop, Cabinet member with responsibility for Public Health said: “The latest adult and child obesity figures for Somerset highlight the importance for families to be more aware about the amount of fats, salt and sugar they are eating in their diets.

"Just small changes in what we eat can make a really big difference, and what better way of checking what the family are eating than with this fun app."

Currently, 21.9 percent of 4 to 5-year-olds are overweight or obese in the South West, increasing to 30.3 percent in 10 to 11-year-olds.

Somerset is now below both the regional average of 21.9 percent and the national average of 22.1 percent.

PHE’s new Change4Life campaign urges parents to ‘Be Food Smart’ and take more control of their children’s diets.

At the event, families will see live demonstrations of the new Be Food Smart app that highlights just how much sugar, saturated fat and salt can be found in everyday food and drink that their children consume.

They will also receive free Be Food Smart information packs, making it easier to make the healthier choice at home.

Justine Womack, Health and Wellbeing Programme Lead for Public Health England South West said: “The latest child obesity figures for the South West indicate that our children are eating and drinking too much sugar, so the roadshows are one way of reaching people to demonstrate how the app can help them and provide dietary information they may not have known before.

“We’ve developed our Be Food Smart app because the amount of sugar and saturated fat hidden in processed food plays a significant role in causing childhood obesity.

"We want to make it easy for families to know how much sugar, fat and salt they’re actually eating.”

The campaign aims to help parents identify the health harms of children eating and drinking too much sugar, saturated fat and salt, including becoming overweight or obese and developing tooth decay. 

The new Change4Life ‘Be Food Smart’ campaign is touring the country, visiting 29 shopping centres and 40 supermarkets nationally.