New research has revealed nearly half of parents (45%) admit their child doesn’t know how fruit and veg go from farm to fork, despite a whopping 87% of Brits confessing to really liking our loyal fav-fruits.
According to the study, commissioned by Europe’s favourite little healthy drinks brand, innocent Drinks, exactly half (50%) of parents say they go the extra mile to teach their children about thebenefits of fruit and veg, with 29% even taking the time to educate them on the specific vitamins they contain.
But despite giving it their best shot, the poll of 2,000 parents with children aged 0 to five, unveiled a huge 92% think their children’s fruit and veg eating habits could be better, as results show children only manage to squeeze in three of the recommended five a day.
Here to help educate families and host an enjoyable day out for all the family to enjoy, innocent Drinks created its first-ever Fruit Festival, inviting local families down for free to immerse themselves in a series of seriously fun fruit-focussed games and activities, all whilst learning about the importance of getting their five-a-day from nutritionists and experts.
The Fruit Festival, which took place 4th August, comes after a quarter (25%) of parents describe the recommended ‘five a day’ process as “difficult” because of struggles such as; “they don’t like it” (43%), “they are fussy” (53%), and “they don’t like the textures” (35%).
Such challenges mean that parents are having to getcreative, with two-thirds (61%) admitting to sneaking the fruit into their little ones’ tummies by blending and hiding it in their meals.
The findings go on to explain why 40% of those polled feel a mixture of excitement and dread when encouraging their kids to try new fruit and veg, with over three quarters (77%) of parents revealed they give their tots the same fruits they know and like, to ensure they get the goodness they need.
The innocent Fruit Festival, which was in partnership with Crockford Bridge Fruit Farm, Surrey, saw children and parents learning about the wonderful benefits of our trusty fruit and veg. innocent’s very own Fruit Expert, Louisa Handley, was on hand to teach their little ones all about healthy eating and the importance of what we put in our bodies.
Kids were also able to enjoy exciting fruit-themed games including kiwi-and-spoon races, berry arts and crafts, obstacle courses, quizzes on their favourite fruits and a chance to amble through the farm’s Pick Your Own fields to learn how fruit grows from seed to strawberry.
Katie Peacock, UK Head of Marketing said: “At innocent, we’re on a mission to get more fruit and veg into people’s diets, and we know this can be particularly tricky for parents”
“By hosting the innocent Fruit Festival this year, we aim to educate and engage families about the power and deliciousness of fruit, to hopefully make it that little bit easier for parents to get more portions of fruit and veg into their children’s diets. “
Local parent, Sophie Jenkins from Surrey commented, “the kids had so much fun and it was a lovely way to spend the day. The fruit art station was a real hit – it was great seeing my little one playing and trying fruits he doesn’t usually eat. It was really valuable speaking with Louisa and learning about the power of fruit and veg for children.”
Louisa Handley, innocent’s in-house nutritionist also provided her top three easy tips for introducing fruit and veg to mealtimes:
1. Include fruit and veg into your children’s diets that are a range of colours – just like the rainbow – to get them excited about eating them
2. Adding fruit to each meal will help increase your five a day. Meals such as breakfasts, salads and desserts are easy dishes to add fruit and veg to.
3. Make fruit as fun as possible for the family and to get kids to understand more about the textures and flavours of fruit. Have a go at mashing up berries and using them for fruit art where you can draw your favourite fruit!
innocent is providing parents with a host of fruitful FREE activities to keep the kids endlessly entertained through its new online hub, designed to inspire parents, caregivers and their kids to explore nature and learn about the goodness of fruit & veg. For an abundance of fruit and nature-related activities for the kids to enjoy year round, head tohttps://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things-we-make/kids to discover more. You can also find more information on the innocent Drinks smoothies and how the drinks can help get more fruit and veg into your kids’ diets.
