Family-orientated attractions fail to provide kids healthy options

Family-orientated attractions came under fire again this weekend for failing to provide healthy meal and drink choices.

An investigation by The Observer revealed that parents have little option but to buy unhealthy processed food at more than 20 of the most popular leisure destinations.

With a few exceptions, nutritious meal options are either unavailable or made difficult for families to find, the newspaper said.

Processed meat nuggets, hot dogs, burgers and chips still dominate the choices at virtually every one of Britain's most popular leisure and education destinations.

There were few healthy drinks, fruit or portions of vegetables in any of the child's menus, deals and lunch boxes.

In the few venues where "vegetables" were available, the choice was limited to baked beans and peas that were not fresh. With a very few exceptions, fresh fruit was unavailable.

The venues defended their menus, insisting they could not take nutritional responsibility for their guests and claiming customers wanted "fun food instead of having too much of the salads".

But Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, which recently published its own research exposing attractions for offering unhealthy food, rubbished the claims.

"The progress in the quality of school meals is being undermined by the continuing prevalence of junk being served up and excused as ‘treat food' for children at visitor attractions across Britain," he told The Observer.

"The companies benefiting from this huge and growing market need to start taking their fair share of responsibility for promoting healthy eating to a generation of children who risk dying before their parents, thanks to an epidemic of obesity and diet-related diseases."

Read the full Observer article here >>

Family-friendly restaurants still pushing junk food on kids, says Soil Association >>

‘Secret mum' exposes lack of healthy food options at Britain's top tourist attractions >>

Tourist attraction operators hit back over obesity slur >>

By Daniel Thomas

E-mail your comments to Daniel Thomas](mailto:daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk?subject=Family-orientated attractions fail to provide kids healthy options) here.