Third of children eating less fruit amid cost of living crisis

The results of the YouGov-run study revealed that 34% of parents are buying less fresh fruit now than a year ago as the cost of living crisis continues to put pressure on household budgets.

A quarter of parents also said that their children would eat less fresh fruit during the summer holidays, at a time when families face additional costs for childcare and food while schools are closed. Despite the results, 89% recognised the positive impact of a diet rich in fresh fruit on the health and wellbeing of their children.

In response to the findings, FareShare has called on the new Government to support the mass redistribution of surplus food, especially fresh fruit and vegetables. According to YouGov, almost 3m tonnes of edible fresh produce goes to waste on UK farms every year.

FareShare works with the food industry, including retailers, wholesalers and producers, to redistribute good-to-eat surplus food to more than 8,000 charities and community groups across the UK. In the past 12 months, FareShare has redistributed approximately 5,000 tonnes of fresh fruit.

'Huge amount of edible produce wasted'

Reacting to the results, FareShare CEO George Wright said: “Thousands of the charities within our network are working extremely hard every day to support children and families impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. It is really worrying that so many children are struggling to access fresh fruit and, therefore, maintain healthy diets. ​

“In the UK, a huge amount of fresh produce, both fruit and vegetables, is wasted on farms every year when it’s still perfectly good to eat. We need the new government to partner with the redistribution sector to deliver more food to people in need - our manifesto outlines how this can be done. We need their support to help get more nutritious food to children and help give them the best possible start in life.”​

‘Worrying results’

Kerry Lock, nutritional therapist and manager of ‘Nourish and Flourish’, a programme developed and run by Oxfordshire charity SOFEA, added: “The results of this survey are really worrying.​

“Access to fruit and vegetables is essential for our children’s healthy development and growth, strengthening the immune system, enhancing the academic performance in terms of concentration and memory – as well as provisioning fibre essential for a healthy digestive system. Establishing healthy eating habits at an early age is crucial for long term health and well-being, to help avoid chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.”​

Meanwhile, Debbie Fixter, manager of Sprouts Community Food Charity in Teesside, explained that many parents have told the charity that fruit is now unaffordable: “Given the current cost of living and the financial constraints many people are under, being able to provide affordable fruits as snacks really helps parents and carers. We can encourage healthy snacking habits from a young age, potentially reducing the risk of childhood obesity and related health issues.”​

In other news, Glebe Farm Foods has claimed that its PureOaty Barista product has the lowest carbon footprint among oat drinks on the UK market.​​