The UK government's Help for Households program encourages low-income families to turn to supermarket deals for kids' meals, even though they fail to properly follow children's menu standards, The Guardian has reported.
According to Professor Greta Defeyter, who has worked on the research for the government's holiday food program, parents are in fact being pushed to feed their kids with junk food when free school meals aren't available during the summer holidays.
Among the supermarket deals that Help for Households urges to take advantage of are the “kids eat for £1” offer in Asda and “kids eat free” with an adult paying customer in Morrisons. However, according to Defeyter, these meals are far from healthy.
“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.”
Asda offers include hot meals such as chicken nuggets, fish fingers and all-day breakfasts; while Morrisons offers chicken nuggets, fish fingers and sausages. In Asda, just two out of five offers have a vegetable side, with Morrisons offering only one vegetable side per five offers. Likewise, Asda lists chips on three occasions in the menu, while primary schools should only provide deep-fried food once a week.
"The government should not be promoting menus primarily consisting of ultra-processed foods. Families should have quality, nutritious food all year round,” Defeyter said.
Both supermarkets assured The Guardian that providing different option and making sure that children have fruit and vegetables are a priority.
Barbara Crowther from food charity Sustain has blasted the government for "looking to supermarkets and big businesses to cover up their own failure to ensure all children can access healthy food these summer holidays,” according to The Guardian.
Under the Help for Households program, free school meals are available to pupils in England if parents get certain benefits, while also offering access to free activities and food for children in the holidays who receive free school meals.
The United Kingdom is currently in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, with more than 90% of Brits reporting an increase in food and utility prices between June and July 2022. In July, the country's inflation rose to 9.4%, with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) increasing by 0.8% in June 2022.