Yes, you read the title right, that is 1.7 million children under six who start the day with no food. Shocking isn’t it?
1.4 million 6 to ten year old children don’t eat breakfast and 2.3 million 11 to 16 year old children also skip breakfast.
So in total 5.4 million children in the UK do not eat breakfast. Couple that with the fact that £646m is spend by children on the way to school on snacks and fizzy drinks nad I think you get some idea of just how socked I was on Friday when I heard about these figures from Sara the dietitian at Kellogg’s
Me listening intently to Sara the Dietitian
I have mention before that when it comes to breakfast my children are chalk and cheese. Maxi is a porridge everyday without fail kind of chap, where as Mini would rather not eat anything at all. I am also one of those mums that cooks her children’s food from scratch, worries about added salt and sugar and also is concerned about giving her children a sweet tooth. But one of the main things I walked away from Kellogg’s thinking was that some breakfast is better than no breakfast.
I am not going to advocate any particular type of style of cereal, that is down to you, but I have made the decision that I am no longer going to stress about the type of cereal Mini consumes, I am going to just focus on the fact that he does have breakfast unlike a lot of school children.
If I put the statistics in to perspective for Mini’s class at school it would mean that 5 of the children will not have anything to eat until lunch time. I find that a terrible and very sad statistic.
I could talk to you about the development of Kellogg’s products or the fact that they train Americans to have European tastes or about shape management or even about making my own cereal and designing the box, but I will leave that to others, who no doubt will do that better than me and I will leave you with the thought that
1 in 6 children in the UK do not eat breakfast.
Great post, Jen. Shocking statistic! I hope it shocks some parents into re-evaluating their morning routine.
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Shocking to see statistics like that in print!
I have always felt that it’s not ‘what he eats’ but ‘that he eats’ that matters when it comes to the Little Man’s breakfast routine. And we are very fortunate that there is fruit and water available in the morning session and afternoon session so together with his cooked lunch he has three snacks throughout the morning.
Wow that is shocking all though I am afraid to say that my teenage Son would quite happily leave the house with no breakfast if I let him, on the other hand my 10yr old would never survive until lunchtime without his breakfast.
It makes you think doesn’t it.
Those figures really are shocking.
I know people who say their kids don’t have breakfast because they don’t have the time in the mornings, surely they could get up a little bit earlier. I’d never survive until lunchtime without breakfast!
@mammyskitchen: There is no excuse to not find the time, I agree
Great pics 🙂
That is so shocking…Belle is only 22 months but I can never imagine letting her go without breakfast ever! x
@Carly: I know, it is hard having a child that doesnt want to eat, but I do force the issue
this does not surprise me. I work with vulnerable young people who have to look after themselves. Some of their parents are druggies or alcoholics so food isn’t even in the fridge for breakfast.
I have to admit before I even send my son to nursery he’s had a nice, warm bottle of milk and then he has breakfast there!! Maybe school’s should provide breakfast….??!! x
@JoJo: That is so, so sad. Mybe there is a need for school to give children breakfast.
simply does not compute. I don’t understand how that many children can be sent out into the day without something, even a biscuit, to eat at the beginning pf the day. I can’t get past it.
I could never face breakfast when I was a child bit I agree it is the most important part of the day. I can’t function now without breakfast and I insist my daughter eats something before school. She doesn’t always want to and sometimes it’s only half a slice of bread but I can’t bear the thought of her going until lunchtime with nothing in her stomach.
@Rosie Scribble: IJ is so like mini. I insist on something, anything
please can you email me? xxxx
@elsie button: Done
That is an outrageous statistic! We are quite gung ho when it comes to breakfast and what Chick gets depends on how much we’ve overslept on any given day but she always gets something healthy! Quite shocking that as you say maybe 5 of her class won’t eat anything until lunchtime! How do they manage??
@Emma: I have no idea how they manage, I think that having an empty tummy is no way to start the day
Thankfully, at our school, they sell toast at break time but I’m sure they do that because they know that a lot of kids don’t get anything to eat. And yanno, you’ve got to have money to buy it. Monkey lost his 5p this morning and got nothing – even tho he told the teacher – so I’m glad he’d had a decent breakfast tho I am mad they didn’t let him buy toast with the other 10p he had.
@Kate: I love the idea of toast at break, but I would be on the phone to the school
That’s dreadful. How can anyone let growing kids go off for the day with no food. Mind you we’ve been guilty of not eating it ourselves sometimes.
Mckdaddy’s school do a 70p a week ‘juice club’ for KS1. The kids get toast & squash and I think it’s because so many of them don’t have breakfast. Great that they do it but awful that some are happy to put this onto schools to sort out. Surely it’s the parents job to give breakfast.
Luckily MM is a BIG breakfast eater at the moment. He has more porridge than I do. It makes me more relaxed about him not eating so much later on. I know he’s started with a full tummy.
@Mummylimited: 70p a week is really good for a juice club. I would be happy to let my boys do this, their school has a breakfast club at £1 a day, but I have supervision issues as they just put them in the playground after they have eaten
What a great post, that is a truly shocking statistic. I’m not really a breakfast person and neither is hubby but we do get the kids to eat breakfast but it’s a struggle. They tend to eat some toast and a banana. I really need to get this in gear before they start school. x
@Susan Mann: I try and eat with the boys, I belive in setting a good example. Banana and toast is a good breakfast
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That’s unbelievable. I must admit, some mornings are a bit hit and miss but we always sit at the kitchen table (other than a Sunday morning toast in bed frenzy!) and have something of nutritional value. Shocking stats to read.
My kids always have break fast, usually cereal of some sort and if we are running late they get a cup of milk then a jam sandwich and a banana to eat in the car! I’d feel terrible sending them off with nothing 🙁
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That is absolutely shocking! I can’t even shower until I’ve eaten my muesli…I come over all faint…
How on earth can these children concentrate in class on an empty stomach…