A UK government study of the parents of 900 children found that children between 7 and 16 found that 42% were concerned with food related diseases and illnesses like bird flu, fat, sugar and salt content of food etc. 82% said eating healthily was a personal important, but obesity and the consumption of processed food is up and 27% of children in the UK are over weight (in 2006).
Scientific evidence has shown that it is important to eat healthily and that there are serious consequences if we don't. Therefore the UK government has been trying to promote healthy diets. But clearly it depends on the active participation of parents to change the diets of their children. It requires a lot more time, effort and possibly money to provide healthier meals, compared to buying ready made meals, especially since in most families both parents work.
Jamie Oliver has campaigned for years for healthier diets for school children, the fact that it's taken years and the campaign is still finished show how long it takes to shift established beliefs towards food.
Stepoe et al (1995) carried out a large scale survey and found that health was one of many motivations for food choice. There are other factors like price, mood, etc.
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