Nursery World - Opinion: Stop the soft sell of junk

It's not new to say that children's diets are in crisis, while 92 per cent of children consume too much saturated fat, 86 per cent consume too much sugar, and 96 per cent do not eat enough fruit and vegetables.

In the past ten years, obesity in children aged two to five nearly doubled, and it is predicted that unless action is taken, a fifth of boys and a third of girls will be obese by 2020.

The junk food industry spends hundred of millions of pounds pushing fatty, salty, sugary food to children, and the methods they use are changing. We all know how burger chains give toys away with children's meals and that a massive amount is spent advertising junk food on television. But food companies are developing a range of new and insidious ways of selling their products to children behind parents' backs. For example, companies now run SMS message competitions and advertise on child-appealing social networking websites like Bebo.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included