Millions of mums fear sending their children to nan and granddad’s for tea – because they’ll be fed junk food, biscuits and sweets.
Researchers found around one in four mums have thought twice about allowing their kids to visit their grandparents due to concerns over the food they will consume whilst there.
Nearly half of parents went as far as to say they had been forced to point out rules or guidelines on their children’s diets to nan and granddad in advance of a visit.
And one in three have had a child arrive home in a hyperactive state due to the consumption of sweets and fizzy drinks.
Yesterday Paul Wheeler from Mini Max breakfast cereal which commissioned the study in to the attitudes of 2,000 parents said:
“I think what the results of this survey do speak to is the real worry parents have about letting their kid’s diets quite literally out of their sights”.
“Unfortunately it seems parents are living in dietary fear – of what their kids will eat everywhere. Whether it’s grandparents, school or with friends, British parents don’t trust their kids will make the right dietary choices.
I think most people will agree it’s about balance – but sometimes that’s not as easy to achieve as say. “
It isn’t just grandparents that are the problem either with mums also worrying that allowing their child to have lunch or dinner with classmates or family friends means they will miss out on healthy fruit and vegetables.
Instead, they are likely to come home having been served up fatty fast or frozen food, fizzy drinks, cake and ice cream.
And as many as one in five have gone so far as to stop their children eating meals at certain people’s houses and seeing certain friends outside of school to avoid the issue.
The majority of parents said they make sure their children have a balanced and nutritional breakfast before they leave the house because they are worried about what they will eat for the rest of the day.
Twenty two per cent said they feel like breakfast is the only meal of the day where they have control over what their children eat.
But despite the reservations only forty two per cent of parents have built up the courage to confront granny and granddad over what they feed their child.
And of those that did nearly half said that they were just ignored.
One in ten parents said their child had arrived home from someone else house having been allowed to drink energy drinks while 15 per cent have been shocked to hear that they have been fed microwaveable ready meals.
Twenty two per cent of parents said their child had been fed fast food for dinner while one in ten said their child had been given a Pot Noodle.
Nearly a third had picked up their child only to discover they had been given a takeaway for dinner with 8 per cent saying they were unhappy after their child was given a kebab.
Nearly two thirds said that their children knew what food was healthy and unhealthy and normally make good choices when it comes to what they eat when they were at home.
Paul Wheeler from Kellogg’s added: “I think it’s sad that parents think the only one meal of the day they have any control over is breakfast. What is encouraging however is that kids seem to be more food savvy than their kids, with many of them being able to tell treat food from more healthier options.
