Nearly 8 in 10 parents (76%) are finding it harder, not easier, when it comes to promoting healthy eating habits with their children

That’s according to comprehensive polling of over 2,000 parents conducted by Savanta and the Children’s Food Campaign at Sustain to help determine the biggest challenges faced by parents in the current food system and their top priorities for change

Whilst most parents (88%) prioritise their children eating healthily, more than two thirds worry about what their children are actually eating and say it’s challenging getting their kids to eat healthily. From cost-of-living pressures to food marketing and labelling, the research highlights multiple issues that make parents’ job harder, and where further policies are needed to support them. The worrying new research findings have fed into parents now launching their own manifesto Our Children, Our Future, calling on all political parties to put children’s healthy food at the heart of their plans in the run up to the general election.

The manifesto, which will be delivered by a delegation of parents to whichever political party wins the next general election, has identified five pillars of action and it calls on government to:

• Make free, healthy and sustainable school food a priority for all our children from nursery to sixth form/college
•  Protect children from the flood of unhealthy food advertisement and marketing 
• Ensure honest and trustworthy information on food and drink packaging 
• Make nutritious food affordable and accessible for all families 
• Stop the sale of high energy caffeine drinks to children.

A group of 13 parent ambassadors from different backgrounds across England analysed the poll findings and worked with the Children’s Food Campaign to identify the policy priorities and build the manifesto.

Jaynaide Powis, parent of 22-month-old said: “As parents, we do our best to ensure that the food our children eat is nourishing, healthy and enjoyable yet our abilities and intentions as parents are too often restricted by means beyond our control. “

The expansion of healthy school meals is the number one policy backed by 86% of parents in the poll who overwhelmingly want all children to be able to access healthy meals without stigma, as well as experience the joys of learning about and eating tasty, nutritious school meals, fuelling their learning success.

Whilst school food has improved dramatically in some places, it’s not universal as just over half of parents (55%) think the food in their children’s school is nutritious and appealing. Parents strongly want to see more healthy options on menus, a reduction of sugary puddings in favour of fruit and yoghurt and stronger enforcement and inspection of School Food Standards to make sure food on the plate is nutritious, balanced and appealing.

The cost of living is cited as the issue of highest concern by parents, with food prices as the biggest pressure, ahead of housing, fuel or other bills. Parents are calling on the Government to expand more access to programmes such as Healthy Start, providing vouchers to low-income families to buy more fruit and vegetables.

As well as affordability of healthy options, 9 in 10 parents (88%) say their children are influenced by unhealthy food advertising and two thirds are worried by the amount of advertising their children are seeing.

The government’s delay to the introduction of a 9pm watershed restriction for TV and online adverts for HFSS products (which is now scheduled to come into force from 1 October 2025) and its failed promise to ban the sales of high caffeine energy drinks to under-16s, hasn’t helped. Interestingly, 8 in 10 parents (80%) backed bringing in this ban.

Whilst 3 in 5 parents say they trust manufacturer-led health claims, 8 in 10 parents (79%) want the government to improve labelling on children’s products.

Barbara Crowther, children’s food campaign manager at Sustain explained:

“It should be easy for children to eat healthily but the reality is it’s not. Parents are battling daily against a barrage of unhealthy marketing campaigns, pricing barriers and confusing messaging. With many parents worrying about what their children are eating and say it’s getting more difficult to ensure their children are accessing healthy food, we call on policy makers and all political parties to put aside arguments of nanny statism and listen to what support parents really need so that together, we can put children’s health at the heart of their future.”

On Thursday 25 April, the Children’s Food Campaign at Sustain is hosting a webinar where the parents will be presenting the findings from research and the manifesto whilst engaging in an interactive discussion on parents’ top priorities for the future government. Click to register.

The full manifesto report is available at https://www.sustainweb.org/assets/our-children-our-future-report-1713865540.pdf