11 March 2025
We wanted to find out how we can best support children to develop a love for fresh, healthy, minimally processed food. What are the policy solutions that could help shift children’s diets? How do we collectively instil a love of good food from an early age?
This is why we ran a workshop at this week’s Children’s Food Summit with educators, policy makers, young people and parents.
We learnt that…
🧠 There is a clear, intuitive understanding of what minimally processed foods are
⚡ People feel angry that they’re not yet the easy choice – it should be accessible and affordable to buy, cook and enjoy them
🚜 Feeling connected to food and where it comes from is important to people, we want to know where it’s been grown and how it’s reached us
🧅 Too many children are not experiencing real food, we heard stories of teenagers who have never seen a raw onion before, despite it being an ingredient in a lot of the food they eat
🥬 When children are introduced to minimally processed foods, they can often find it daunting and are reluctant to try food that’s so different to what they’re used to. Sensory food education and opportunities to try different foods are key!
🔗 There needs to be bold, joined up thinking in the upcoming National Food Strategy to ensure minimally processed foods are easily available, accessible and affordable