Children pushed to eat junk food over holidays by UK government campaign

theguardian.com:

Struggling families are being encouraged by the government to feed their children on discounted supermarket cafe menus comprising ultra-processed junk food over the summer holidays, experts have claimed.

The government’s Help for Households campaign last week urged families hit by the cost of the living crisis totake advantage of new or existing supermarket meal deals, including a “kids eat for £1” offer in Asda and “kids eat free” with an adult paying customer in Morrisons.

David Buttress, the government’s “cost of living tsar” and a co-founder of the food delivery company Just Eat, said the first phase of the campaign covered the school holidays. “It is a good way to support people over the summer holidays when school meals aren’t available,” he said.

However, analysis by Professor Greta Defeyter, whose research has informed the government’s holiday food programme, suggests the menus fall below school food standards.

Defeyter said: “The majority of these foods are ultra-processed, which have been linked to obesity and cancer. The token nod to vegetables is the serving of peas and one meal being accompanied by a salad.”

Children in the Asda superstore cafes can choose hot meals such as chicken nuggets, fish fingers and all-day breakfasts. But only two of five hot food options include vegetable or salad sides. Morrisons cafe offers children chicken nuggets, fish fingers and sausages. But only one of five has a vegetable side.

Primary schools should only provide deep-fried starchy food once a week but, the analysis found, Asda’s menu lists chips on three occasions.

Schools should also provide at least one portion of fruit and vegetables a day, but Asda’s hot food menu lists no fruit options, and while Morrisons provides a single