Shock at sugar consumption

It isn’t just cinemas though. If you go to any leisure centre, healthy snacks are very limited but sugary ones are plentiful.

Totally agree. There should be no sweets at a ticket area just like at the better supermarkets. The size of the packets and tubs are monstrous. Last year I took DGD to our local theatre for the pantomime. Absolutely disgusted to see adults with kids bringing in pint glasses of beer, glasses of wine, alcohol of all types, sitting drinking amongst the children. I will not be back to any performance for children until I check if alcohol is allowed in the auditorium. Why do people think this is acceptable apart from the theatre owners who want the profits. The local theatre is L A. owned run by a Trust on their behalf!

I was trying not to be too judgemental but it was obvious to me that the families buying the "treats" were already large and unhealthy looking.

I agree it was a treat, for us as well and DD had put a sweet biscuit in the snack. We shared that while waiting through the half hour of ads and trailers.

Healthier snacks if they must could be an option but water at £3.50 a small bottle is crazy.

I think people have always eaten at the cinema. When I was a child the "fleapits" stank of stale tobacco and orange peel.
So maybe I shouldn't be surprised by the popcorn and sweets.

agree im a diabetic so notice sugar more than most, it amazes me we have all these pop and sweet machines but rarely a fruit machine like they do in france where you can buy a punnet of strawberrys or other fruit, and if you travel on the road a lot trying to get something sugar free from a garage for lunch is a nightmare, got to say some are getting better, but a lot of sugar free options still are not sugar free

I work in the health sector. Know all about diabetes, cardiovascular risks etc. Yes we should be cautious but it’s up to parents to manage their child’s diet. I tell my kids they can choose 10 sweets each from the pick and mix at the cinema, which is a good compromise to me. There’s nothing wrong with allowing children a treat every now and then as long as their normal diet is balanced and healthy and they do lots of exercise. People can’t blame commercial organisations or the government for obesity etc in this country. Yes it’s bad there’s so much sugar and big packs etc but people don’t have to buy them. They are there because of consumer demand and generation after generation of poor diets and lifestyles. Consumers are responsible for their health and well-being and the sooner everyone accepts that and stops blaming others the better for everyone.

I agree buttonjugs. My grandchildren have a very healthy low sugar diet. They only go to the cinema occasionally but when they do a visit to the pic’n mix is all part of the treat. They always include a cola bottle in their bags for Grandad too!

@Sb74 don't get me wrong, I'm not against treats though I'm against the concept of sneaking them. As I understand it it was the sheer size and vastly inflated price of the sweets and drinks being sold (think supersize everything) that the OP objected to. We always take something appropriate with us, and no, not fruit. It's not that 'It’s gone too far the other way for some.' The diet we ate as children with sweets as an occasional treat is a very different thing to children's diet in general today and we should be worried about that.

It's not just the kids' things, either - I've heard very recently of the amount of sugar in some of the mucked-about, so-called coffee peddled by the big chains. The equivalent of 26 teaspoons in at least one!
I dare say they're pretty small level teaspoons, but still....

Each to their own, but how anyone can like that stuff I can't imagine.

cinema is for a treat. i would say just one treat ,a smoothie is nice as it should be fresh fruit.and nothing gooey and sweet...but other than that i would bring my own pop corn. although some cinemas wont allow your own foods in. cinemas should sell more healthy treats.

Do children really need asomething in their mouths all the time? Snacks, treats, water or worse... Were any of you brought up like that?

Another thought is that I really don't like the fact that so many people are sitting eating throughout the film. They have burgers, chips etc & it stinks plus they are making rustling noises all through the film.

Maggie, I agree. As an occasional treat in an ktherwise healthy diet then I cant see a problem

I always take my own snacks to cinema when I take the DGC. I am amazed at how much they charge for snacks at cinema & how many people buy them! They must be very rich is all I can say.
I forgot the water last time & it cost me £3.50 for a bottle of water!! Not a big one just a small one. I am not averse to them having sweets but I'll bring my own thank you!
The tickets cost enough as it is.

I've often heard friends children discussing the things they have had when they go to the cinema - for some reason, no visit is complete without having something to eat.
I had one visit completely ruined for me by having someone sitting next to me, consuming an extremely smelly burger - not only that, but he was snuffling and snorting like a pig in the process! The cinema was just about full so had no option of moving to another seat - I didn't see any empty seats until the lights came up at the end!
When I used to take my son and neices and nephews to the cinema, I used to nip into Woolies for some of their pic'n'mix and save money. Whatever happened to the time when you used to get shushed for just unwrapping a sweet?

GrannyLaine that’s a good point. My granddaughter and her friend were talking about how they sneak flavoured water into school in their ‘water only’ bottles. I did much the same as you did.
Incidentally, this morning’s news headlines mention the huge amount of sugar in sweetened non-dairy (provocatively called vegan) milks used in coffee shops like Starbucks, Neros, Costa etc.

Aren’t grandparents supposed to be the ones that sneak treats to their DGC? I under your concern op but it’s a treat going to the cinema and part of that is buying sweets etc. It’s fine to have sweets every now and then. As long as it’s not all the time. Don’t make memories for your GC where you’re the stingy granny!! What was the snack you brought with you, a banana? Or other piece of fruit? It’s gone too far the other way for some. Let kids have treats!! It’s part of being a child!!

I never ever buy drinks or food at the cinema. It’s a huge rip off -not to mention the sugar content in these products. My children used to ask, when smaller but I always brought healthier goods from home for them to enjoy. Pester power puts huge profit into the cinema chains’ pockets I’m afraid.

Agree it is over the top but people must be happy to buy these things. Im like you just take a drink and snack with you.

It’s a treat at the cinema though, whereas buying from a supermarket is general consumption. Unless you go to the cinema every day it’s not really a problem imo.

I'm with you on this one Grammaretto. Sugar consumption is one of the most worrying things for health prospects generally and is actually a big factor in cardiovascular disease. The problem is that its hidden in so many foods. One of my grandsons visited recently having bought a drink of something called Juicy Water, displayed with bottled water in the shop. He complained that it was too sweet to drink. Odd, I thought. We checked the labelling and it contained 31grams of added sugar in the form of fructose. I weighed out that much sugar to show him what it looks like. Shocking!!

Children don’t usually go to the cinema that often though, do they? I don’t see much wrong with a smoothie as an occasional treat on a trip out.

I was told cinemas rely on such profits. I remember they used to check for sweets and drinks as we entered on the Saturday morning cheap showing , when I look my grandchildren. We always smuggled cheaper popcorn in , as they charged so highly .
No excuse for tooth rotting stuff though.

Ridiculous and the prices are ridiculous. I thought we were trying to stop this at tills in supermarkets so why not Cinema’s as well?

Oh she sounds so cute and sweet Grammaretto just saying ‘I like smoothies’. I hope she enjoyed the film.

I`m totally with you Grammaretto.
The simple truth of it is they put the sweets there because they know only too well children will ask for them.
And most adults indulge the practice.
And the managers tbf are doing as they are told albeit wrong.
Strange they never put fruit on show but they wouldn`t make as much if any profit out of us.
The government should do more also.