Food firms are reacting to parents' eagerness to provide healthy meals despite their hectic lifestyles Iva Pocock outlines how food makers are steering children to more nutritious meals
Children are modern-day consumers when it comes to food. Not only do they actually ingest their meals and snacks, they choose what they want to eat and on what their parents' money is spent.
The days of being told dinner's ready, and having no choice as to what appears on the table - "it's lamb chops or nothing" - are in decline, as children increasingly get what they want when it comes to food.
Some 40 per cent of parents in the UK "tend to buy what the child wants" proving that pester power works and that children represent a "real voice in the food industry", according to recent research by international research company, TNS.
Although no detailed survey of Irish children's eating habits has yet been published (the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance hope to complete such research by the end of the year), it's likely our youngsters have similar eating habits to the UK where kids' favourites are long-shelf life, convenient and multi-functional foods, with canned pasta, pot noodles and confectionery topping the list.
Fresh food doesn't even feature in the top 15 most popular categories as convenience and child acceptability are the prime motivators for food consumption in the home.
An Bord Bia research from 2003 supports the UK findings that people want convenience. In two years the number of adults who say they are too busy or to tired to cook has increased.
More people say their dinner decisions are last minute, and 70 per cent say they choose "quick to cook" meals.
In addition Irish people's confidence in their cooking skills has fallen with a 10 per cent drop in the number who would be confident in producing a Sunday roast or hosting a dinner party where they did all the cooking. Most tellingly, the number of people who said they weren't able to perform that most rudimentary culinary task - boiling an egg - has doubled.
All this is music to the ears of food manufacturers who have spotted a growing market for child-oriented convenience foods. The more astute companies have taken on board An Bord Bia's research which suggests confidence in convenience foods has waned, and have focused on creating fresh, additive and preservative-free dishes to tempt their young target market.
One such company is The Butler's Pantry. With kitchens in Bray, Co Wicklow and branches in six Dublin locations, it makes and sells what co-owner Jacquie Marsh says are "convenient but nutritious and homestyle food".
Since last autumn the company has been offering a range of imaginatively named dishes, including Jolly spag bolly, Chilli yum yum and Treasure Island chicken, especially produced for children.
Feedback from taste panels which include children has been good, says Marsh. No additives, preservatives, stabilisers or life-enhancers are used in any of The Butler's Pantry dishes, she adds.
"We wanted to ensure there was an offering for everyone in the family, thus promoting the concept of the family meal," says Marsh. "Mealtime is a very important part of family life. It allows us to develop our children's tastes and encourages them to experiment with different foods."
Indeed An Bord Bia's researchers pointed out that fragmentation of the family meal hasn't yet fully occurred with six out of 10 respondents saying they usually eat together.
They were also keen to stress that half of Irish consumers still fall into the "meat and two veg" or "homemaker" category, enjoying traditional food and not bothering with convenience meals or new dishes.
When it comes to children's convenience foods most supermarkets have to date not bothered with their own-brand ranges.
The exception is Marks & Spencers which has been offering products suitable for four- to seven-year-olds for a number of years.
It includes spaghetti bolognese, shepherd's pie and tuna bake, which are all free of additives and preservatives, says spokeswoman George Hadley. "Our meal solutions for younger children are all salt, calorie and fat balanced."
Superquinn, which currently focuses on educating customers about good eating habits, will from Friday start selling Bia Kid, a range of convenient additive-free, ready meals for children.
The move follows feedback from parents wanting healthy and nutritious products they can pick off the shelf.
Developed by business woman Yvonne Scully, whose personal experience as a busy mother helped her identify the children's food market niche, the initial range comprises four recipes, two of which are also offered by The Butler's Pantry and Marks & Spencers - spaghetti bolognese and shepherd's pie.
"The meals are made in Ireland from wholesome, fresh, premium quality ingredients including one hundred per cent Irish meat, chicken and eggs," says Scully.
In addition to offering Bia Kid, Superquinn has started a children nutrition series, covering topics such as good eating habits and nutrition for babies.
"We are also looking at our labelling and introducing a new labelling template so that parents can identify much more," says Breda Gavin, Superquinn's nutrition adviser.