MP meets Fontwell 'sugar free' campaigner

Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert met local writer and campaigner Claire White in Barnham on Friday (26 February) to hear about her campaign to reduce sugar consumption. 

Claire White, a Fontwell resident, has developed SugarSnub, a resource to help raise awareness of the dangers of too much sugar on health and lifestyle.  Mr Herbert has been interested in this subject since he teamed up with Jamie Oliver in Parliament last October to help promote the celebrity chef’s ‘sugar rush’ campaign.

Claire is a trained nutrition advisor and personal trainer who decided to become  sugar free after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 at the age of 38 when her son was just 18 months old.

She believes that cutting out or even reducing sugar intake can help people to “have more energy than ever, lose weight, [and] look and feel fantastic.”

The SugarSnub Food Guide is a book that includes advice and simple steps on sugar reduction and lists supermarket foods in order of sugar content using the ‘traffic light’ system. 

Claire has also started giving talks to schools, nurseries, companies and parents about sugar and its effects on health.  On Wednesday 16 March she will be speaking to parents at St Philip Howard Catholic School in Barnham to follow up on a recent survey made into the pupils eating habits.

Claire said: “I was very grateful for Nick's time, enthusiasm and support for the work I'm doing in his constituency on sugar reduction.  He is acutely aware of the need for more awareness and education on the issue. "

Nick Herbert said: “I enjoyed meeting Claire and hearing about her work.  I agree that more done to tackle the problem the issue of excessive sugar consumption.  Raising awareness to help people make better choices is a step in the right direction.”

ENDS

Notes

   1.     Photograph – Nick Herbert MP with Claire White, photographed at St Philip Howard School in Barnham.

   2.     To read more about SugarSnub see www.sugarsnub.co.uk.

   3.     To read Nick’s news on meeting Jamie Oliver in Parliament see http://www.nickherbert.com/news.php/668/mp-backs-jamie-olivers-sugar-campaign.

   4.      To read the Public Health England report ‘Sugar reduction: evidence for action’ see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-evidence-review-of-measures-to-reduce-sugar-consumption.