Half of Mothers take Little Interest in School Lunches

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Thursday, 13 January 2005

Many mothers are failing to take an interest in what their children eat for lunch, research has found. The study by market analyst Mintel identified 50% of mothers as 'unperturbed parents' who take little or no interest.

In contrast the research found many children adopt a healthy approach to what they eat. Seven in ten 11 to 16-year-olds agreed it was important to eat a balanced diet. Just one in ten seven to 16-year-olds said they found buying health foods a strange concept, while just 22% admitted they found it difficult to resist eating too many sweets.

Amanda Lintott, a consumer analyst at Mintel, said that despite the fact that many children were overweight, most seemed to understand the need to health healthily, and not overindulge. "But recognising the importance of healthy eating is only half the battle, as children now need to be encouraged to put this in to practice. The message is still not getting through to all children, and there remains further scope for education."

The research suggested that parents were a significant part of the problem. Just one in four mothers were identified as 'persisting parents' who aim to give their children the best food they can.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news.