Health and Packed Lunches

A new report from MINTEL finds Britain's kids adopting a refreshingly healthy approach towards what they eat. As many as seven in ten (71%) 11 -16 year olds agree that 'it is important to eat a balanced diet' and only one in ten 7-16 year olds find buying health foods a strange concept.

'Although the 'fat epidemic' in children is spreading and the problem of childhood obesity is widely acknowledged, it would appear that there is a clear acceptance of the basic principles of healthy eating and not overindulging among today's children' comments Amanda Lintott, Consumer Analyst at MINTEL. 'But recognising the importance of healthy eating is only half the battle, as children now need to be encouraged to put this into practice. The message is still not getting through to all children, and there remains further scope for education'.

Worryingly, the research highlights a large number of parents, who are uninterested in their children's lunchtime eating habits. In fact, MINTEL identifies half (50%) of mums as 'Unperturbed Parents', who take little or no interest in what their children eat for lunch. This is compared to just one in four (26%) 'Persisting Parents', who aim to give their children the best food they can. The remaining parents are 'Pampering Parents' who pander to the demands of their 'fussy' children.

While overall just two in five mothers (42%) always pack a lunch for their child or children, this falls to just one in four (25%) amongst the least concerned 'Unperturbed Parents'. This compares to 60% of 'Persisting Parents' and 55% of 'Pampering Parents'.

Interestingly, chocolate is not a popular lunch box option and is included by just 13% of mothers, but this may be a result of some schools actually banning chocolate. While savoury sandwiches and rolls (62%) and crisps and snacks (52%) rank as the two most popular packed lunch items, fresh fruit at 47% is the third most frequently packed food item, proving more popular than sweet biscuits (30%) and cakes at 14%. Fizzy drinks at 5% rank among the least favoured lunch choices and are far less popular than still fruit drinks (39%). Other healthier fillers include unprocessed cheese (18%), raw vegetables (10%) and dried fruit (8%).

Amanda Lintott says the healthier nature of packed lunches is 'largely due to the fact that those who are most interested in their children's diet, are the most likely to take the time to pack a lunch for them. For many parents packing a lunch is the only way that they feel that they are setting down some dietary guidelines for their children. In fact, manufacturers and retailers could encourage more parents to do this, by providing convenient healthy options that can be put straight in the lunch box...The real problem is that while many parents and schools will try to provide healthy lunch options, the reality is that there will always be competition from sweet shops often just outside the school gates'.

Young girls clearly take a greater interest in healthy eating and their body shape than boys of a similar age. They are far less likely to try not to eat too many sweets (47% vs 39%), eat a balanced diet (75% vs 67%) and try not to eat too much (56% vs 41%) but there is evidence to suggest that their attitude towards food can often be somewhat worrying. Even at this young age, they are far more likely than boys to diet (44% vs 20%); to comfort eat (42% vs 22%); to eat when they are sad (43% vs 22%) and to experience feelings of guilt when eating (42% vs 19%). Says Lintott: 'In each case, girls are more likely to agree with these healthy eating attitudes, while boys lag behind somewhat. This is not unusual, given that girls tend to become more body-conscious at an earlier age. A good appearance, for example clear skin and a slim figure, will be further impressed upon young girls by pop stars and celebrities featured in teenage magazines and television programmes. But these results also suggest that experts need to tread a fine line when talking about diet with younger girls as any preoccupation with food can be unhealthy'.

Mintel's web site is at www.mintel.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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