Children's Nutrition Action Plan - The Food Commission

vitamins A and B2;
♦ Half of all older girls eat diets
grossly deficient in iron and
magnesium;
♦ 9% of older girls suffer irondeficiency
anaemia. 24 , 25
• Average consumption of non-milk
extrinsic sugars exceeds
recommended levels in all ages of
children. 11 , 24 , 26
• One in five 8-10 year olds buys
sweets, crisps and savoury snacks
on the way to school (spending a
total of £22.4 million). Packed
lunches were usually nutritionally
inappropriate, crisps and chocolate
were common ingredients. 26
• Consumption of fruit and
vegetables in better-off families is
a third higher than in poorer
families. 27 This social class
difference has also been reported
in children. 24 , 11 , 33
• Food poverty, affordability and
access to healthy, varied food
have been identified as possible
barriers to people on a low income
eating healthy diets. 28, 24 Work by
the Social Exclusion Unit shows
that on many low-income estates,
there is no access to shops selling
affordable fruit and vegetables (a
situation referred to as ‘food
deserts’ 29 ). 30
Health outcomes in childhood and
adulthood
• Poor nutrition, as a consequence
of an inadequate diet, is a
fundamental factor in the
development of many diseases
prevalent in the UK, including
coronary heart disease 31 and up to
an estimated third of all cancers. 32
• People on a low income are more
food culture’ could also be used to encourage the
development, maintenance and promotion of
healthy eating, for instance measures of:
♦ Healthy foods available;
♦ Presence and content of vending machines, and
a school policy on vending machines;
♦ Commitment to no confectionery –
implementation of a policy on the quality of
food and drink brought into school, and
guidance on healthy lunch boxes 22 which were
found in 1992 to be generally high in fat and
sugar and low in fibre; 46
♦ Policy on food advertising in school; 22
♦ Creative approaches to misuse of pocket
money; 22
♦ Cooking methods used by school caterers;
♦ Hygiene requirements;
♦ Survey of children’s wants and needs;
♦ Quality of eating environment;
♦ Time kept waiting;
♦ Adherence to a nutritional scheme such as
Caroline Walker Trust or SMAP, etc;
♦ Types and proportions of foods corresponding
to the Balance of Good Health (e.g. Kent Heart
in the Mouth project in schools 42 );
♦ Pricing system favouring healthy foods –
making fatty and sugary foods more
expensive; 42
♦ Good presentation of healthy foods; 22
♦ High take-up of healthy foods;
♦ Nutrition education integrated into other core
subjects;
♦ Measure of nutritional knowledge in catering
staff; (e.g. Kent Heart in the Mouth project in
schools 42 );
♦ Checklist or guidelines of good practice for
schools wishing to address nutrition, or national
award scheme, or featuring in national school
league tables; 22
♦ Building these into the National Healthy
Schools Standards. At present, the HSS
The Children’s Nutrition Action Plan, published by The Food Commission
53