With the average British child asking their parents for snacks at least 11 times per day over summer, and one in six asking more than 25 times a day, new research has found that kids in the UK will consume more than 40% extra added sugar from snacks over the school summer holidays.
A Healthy Summer Picnic
The survey by nutritious children’s snacking brand GoGo squeeZ revealed that nearly three-quarters (73%) of parents with children aged 3-11 at school or nursery feed their children more snacks with refined sugar - like some sweets, chocolate bars, ice cream, and cereal bars - than usual during the summer holidays.
It’s no surprise that parents are feeding children more refined sugar during the holidays, as it was also revealed that over nine in ten (93%) parents didn’t know the NHS recommended daily ‘free sugar’ limits for 4-6-year-olds – 19g. Similarly, only 5% knew that 7-10-year-olds should consume no more than 24g of free sugar per day.
The top reasons revealed for feeding children more snacks with refined sugar were because they’re easier to carry on the go (75%), because they’re more convenient to prepare (73%), and because parents like to give more treats during summer (73%).
Three-quarters (75%) of UK parents say they feel stressed about feeding their children nutritious food over the holidays, with two in five (38%) saying they’re worried about feeding children more meals than usual over the summer.
The biggest snack dilemmas facing parents are finding snacks with no added sugar (69%), finding nutritious snacks that appeal to their child (58%) and that their child likes the taste of (56%). Over half (55%) of parents also said it’s difficult to get their children to eat whole fruit and vegetables at all.
With almost half of parents spending at least 40 minutes in the kitchen preparing meals and snacks for their kids every day – that’s at least 28 hours during the six-week summer break – two in five said they don’t have time to prepare more nutritious snacks.
GoGo squeeZ is a range of nutritious children’s fruit smoothie snacks containing one of your child’s five-a-day, only natural sugars and a source of natural fibre, and the brand is on a mission to help parents make informed decisions about more nutritious summertime snacking.
Over half (51%) of parents said that snacks with refined sugar are the only thing available to purchase whilst out and about. The areas where parents find it most difficult to feed their children nutritious snacks whilst out and about were revealed as:
- Cinemas (41%)
- Theme parks (37%)
- Softplay centres (34%)
- And park cafés (27%)
As over half (53%) of parents said they needed more snack inspiration, GoGo squeeZ has partnered with child nutritionist and dietitian Lucy Upton (@childrensdietitian) to provide some useful tips and tricks to keep parents going through a summer of snacking.
Lucy says: “Snacking habits often change during the school holidays as typical routines go out of the window, and factors from boredom to increased accessibility to snacks at home or when out may increase. As parents in this survey by GoGo squeeZ have highlighted, accessibility to nutritious snacks can be a challenge when out and about, and this may be coupled with increasing requests from children for desirable foods. Parents are also often juggling childcare with other commitments during the holidays and often tell me they lack time to prepare a range of snacks from scratch. I know many parents are desperate for a greater range of snack options that are nutritious but also convenient!
“Being mindful of extra sugar intake really cannot be overlooked! Rates of dental decay and tooth extractions in children in the UK are hugely concerning, with data showing nearly 50,000 episodes of extractions in 0-19-year-olds between 2022 and 231. Excess sugar intake can also contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain or impact the consumption of other more nutrient-dense foods.”
Lucy’s top five tips for parents to encourage healthier snacking during the holidays are:
1. Strike a balance - It’s understandable that children consume more of certain foods during the summer break, but setting out clear expectations, such as limiting snacks with higher sugar levels to one a day and having a variety of other balanced options for remaining snack times, can be helpful.
2. Explore other ways to hit 5-a-day - Our survey revealed that kids between three and 11-years-old are only consuming, on average, five portions of fruit per week as a snack. They’re also getting just below four portions of vegetables, overall averaging just over one portion a day of fruit or vegetables during snack times. There’s a huge opportunity to improve this, and in turn children will get more fibre and other nutrients. My favourite quick and easy fruit or vegetable snacks include dried fruit like apple rings, raisins, dates (for children 4-5 years+), frozen fruit blended with yoghurt for a lower sugar ‘ice cream’ and grated veg like cucumber or carrot mixed with cream cheese and loaded on crackers. You can also try fruit smoothie snacks with no added sugars like GoGo squeeZ, which offer one of your child’s five-a-day and also help them to explore the taste of fruit before the transition to fresh fruits.
3. Get them involved – To help keep the kids busy and support more nutritious snacking habits, consider tasking children who are old enough with easy-to-prepare snacks such as chopped veggies with hummus, making a yoghurt bark with chopped fruit or a make-your-own trail mix with ingredients like low-sugar dried cereal, smashed up rice cakes, or crackers and dried fruit.
4. Plan ahead - Consider setting aside 15-20 minutes to plan ahead when going out for the day, packing easy and ready-to-go snack options such as fruit smoothie snacks, oatcakes with hummus, cream cheese or nut butter, breadsticks and small cheese portions, or yoghurt.
5. Try family snacking - A family snack time, even once or twice a week, is a great opportunity to lead by example, encouraging your kids to explore new foods (or those they normally turn their nose up at), experience a moment of discovery and slow down to eat together. This usually helps them to pay more attention to what’s on offer.
For more tips, hacks and recipes to help you feed your children more nutritious snacks over the summer holidays, visit the GoGo squeeZ Instagram page: @GoGosqueeZUK.
Research conducted by Fly Research on behalf of GoGo squeeZ. 1,002 adults with children between 3 and 11 year olds in school or nursery with a summer break were polled