Carrots Or Chemistry? the Future of Children’S Food
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Carrots or Chemistry? The future of Children’s Food Published by Organix Brands I January 2002 ® Contents | Carrots or Chemistry? Contents 2 Page 5 Executive Summary Page 6 Children’s Foods in the UK - A review by the Food Commission Page 11 Children’s Food - A Survey Page 18 What parents think - a Mintel report Page 22 Guidelines for a food industry code of practice Page 24 What can parents do? Page 26 About Organix Page 27 Notes and acknowledgements Introduction | Carrots or Chemistry? Introduction 3 Introduction by Lizzie Vann, founder and managing director of Organix At Organix we believe the time has avoiding diet-related problems additives and flavourings and a come for responsible including heart disease, obesity lack of confidence in either the manufacturers, retailers and and anaemia. food industry or the Government parents themselves to force the when it comes to taking In writing this report we have food industry to clean up its act responsibility for the health of looked at: and give our children the quality of children. food they deserve. • Key areas of concern in the current regulation of • How the food industry I am constantly disturbed by the children's food can clean up its act way the food industry concentrates A review by the Food We include draft guidelines for a on the commercial aspects of its Commission covers the control Code of Practice, which aims to products, adulterating their of production, marketing and ensure that children's food offers appearance and taste, while taking promotion of foods for children better nutrition and higher levels a cavalier approach to nutritional and investigates the level of of purity than ordinary food. This values and their impact on information available to parents. would also result in parents children's eating pleasure, habits It concludes that focus and having more information, and future health. action is needed by both enabling them to make the right regulators and the food industry choices when feeding their Food for children, whether special in areas such as food quality, children. packs of chicken nuggets or education and food labelling. biscuits, or the 'Children's Menu' in • What parents a restaurant, frequently means food • The current state of themselves can do that is over-processed - over- children's food Eight key actions that parents coloured, over-flavoured and often Our survey of over 400 children's can take, from changing the high in sugar, fat and salt. The foods covers everything from way they shop to working with focus of the food industry on breakfast cereals to milkshakes schools and other bodies to call making and marketing children's and confectionery. It identifies for better standards in children's food on the basis of convenience, problems with sugar, salt and food. price and kiddie appeal, means fat and the widespread use of that parents are faced with little food additives, including some There is no doubt that improving choice in feeding their children that are banned in other the future health of our children natural and nutritious foods. countries. depends upon significant changes being made to their diet and But children need safe, nutritious • What parents think nutrition. This level of change can and wholesome foods. What they Our state-of-the-nation research only be achieved by everybody eat affects not only their daily well- by Mintel International asked involved in producing, selling, being, but their long-term growth parents what they thought of buying and regulating children's and development. Good food gives their children's diets and the food working together. This report children a better chance in life - a foods and information available is just a starting point - let's see better chance of learning well, to them. The findings highlight a what we can achieve together! developing healthy bodies and high level concern about Executive Summary | Carrots or Chemistry? Executive Summary 5 What we found five are concerned with the • Stronger guidance from the amount of sugar in prepared Government is required for • While the baby food industry is foods. Our survey shows the parents and the food industry subject to strict regulation, this is labelling of children's foods is about the need to reduce levels not the case for food targeted at inadequate and confusing, of saturated fat, salt and sugar children. Current legislation particularly in relation to the and increase consumption of governing food aimed at young levels of fat, sugar and salt. foods such as fruits, vegetables children is inadequate and and high quality animal confusing. • Eighty per cent of parents products. cannot say they feel that special • There is a clear link between ranges of children's foods can • A code of practice should be nutrition and food choices on be relied on to help parents adopted by the food industry to the health of children in both the provide their children with a cover the use of colourings, short and long term. However, healthy diet. An average of five flavourings, fillers, preservatives, children are eating poor diets. additives were found in each of meat, labelling and pesticide They are consuming too much the children's foods surveyed. residues in children's food. fat, sugar and salt and not getting enough important • Fifty-six per cent of parents • Parents should be provided with vitamins and minerals. expressed concern over the simple information outlining easy amount of artificial additives in steps to improve their children's • Modern lifestyles mean that prepared foods, whilst over a diets and protect them from parents are choosing third of children's foods foods produced irresponsibly. convenience foods which are surveyed contained colourings, often of poor nutritional quality. three quarters contained Only nine per cent of parents flavourings and a quarter can say they have no concerns contained preservatives. over the food they give to their children What we believe should be done • Many parents have a poor understanding of nutrition. Only • The Government should use the 30 per cent of parents are able baby food industry as a model to say they are confident that to introduce comprehensive new they have enough information to legislation, which regulates ensure their children have a children's food up to the age of healthy diet. Over 25 per cent of six years of age. This should children's food surveyed, include restrictions on the use of including many well-known additives, the maximum brands did not provide adequate allowable levels of pesticide nutritional information. residues, and guidelines on minimum levels of nutrients. • Almost 60 per cent of parents with children under the age of Children’s Foods in the UK | Carrots or Chemistry? Children’s Foods in the UK A review by the Food Commission 6 The Food Commission is an independent food watchdog that has deficient in important vitamins and campaigned for many years for better food for children, and against minerals. Well over 90 percent of advertising and manufacturing practices that undermine good nutrition. 11-14 year-old girls, and over 80 Last year, the Food Commission launched its Children’s Nutrition Action per cent of boys, fail to reach Plan, to which Organix contributed. Through this work the Food recommended levels of intakes for Commission has highlighted the changes they believe need to be made potassium, magnesium and zinc. to bring about a transformation in what children eat. The material below, Only one fifth of boys and girls in drawn from this work, reflects the opinion of that organisation. this age group get enough calcium7. The special needs of obesity, asthma and diabetes.1 Healthier foods and food choices children Why is it that in a can help to prevent the onset of developed nation like It is widely understood that what serious chronic conditions such as children eat not only affects their cardiovascular disease, coronary Britain, so many eat current health, but will also make a heart disease, osteoporosis, and a poor diet? significant difference to their health about one third of cancers .2, 3, 4, 5 In 2001, a study by the Food in later life. The best chance for Before they reach their teens, Standards Agency showed that good health throughout life is to some children show the first signs 98 per cent of shoppers say their ensure that the foods that create of cardiovascular disease in the health and the health of their these building blocks are as pure, tissues of their arterial walls.6 and families is very important when nutritious and wholesome as by this age, girls have already they make food choices 8, but: possible. begun to lay down the nutritional base for their future pregnancies, • Many parents have a poor Nutrition is a subject of vital which in turn will affect the foetus understanding of nutrition;9,10 importance to all of those raising or and long-term health of their own caring for children. But it is a children.17 • Many parents find nutrition subject that is poorly understood. claims on children's food labels Nutrition labelling proves difficult to Data from the Government's misleading 9,10 or receive interpret. Many people do not National Diet and Nutrition Survey, confusing nutritional messages understand how to build a published in 2000 7, showed that from the fortification (with added balanced diet from the vast array of 92 per cent of children have vitamins and minerals) of fatty, processed foods on offer. Food intakes of saturated fat sugary foods11; manufacturers often exploit this exceeding the maximum lack of understanding and recommended level for adults; • Marketing techniques used for government advice often does not 83 per cent of children have children's food give unhealthy take into account the types of food intakes of added sugars higher foods an unfair advantage over that most people eat.