Feeding frenzy

The need to get kids’ menus right continues to be at the top of foodservice operators’ wish list. John Porter reports on the latest initiatives.

As leading questions go, "are kids getting fatter?" is right up there. To give the European Union its due, it phrased the question slightly more diplomatically in a recent Eurobarometer survey conducted across member countries.

Even so, three quarters of those surveyed "totally agreed" with the suggestion that "there seems to be more overweight children these days than five years ago".

It's worth remembering that despite pictures seen around the world of British mums pushing burgers and chocolate through the school fence in response to Jamie Oliver's school meals initiative, the impact of an unbalanced diet and lack of exercise on children isn't just a problem for the UK.

The EU estimates that 22 million European children are overweight, of which five million are obese. In the US, obesity among children aged six to 11 has more than doubled over 25 years, while in China the one-child-per-family policy is blamed for creating millions of overfed children.

Responding to such a far reaching problem is daunting. Contract caterer Elior UK recognised the scale of the challenge and has developed a strategy to counter it. Director of corporate communications Charlotte Davies comments: "The need to encourage our children to eat healthily, both in and out of home, is a constant message in today's media.

"We recognise that the job of introducing healthy eating to children is much bigger than simply making changes to the menu. There is also a need to educate both children and parents on why eating healthily is so important to the ­immediate and future wellbeing and development of children, and to offer advice on how to make the small changes that can make a big difference to the nutritional value of a child's diet."

Elior has developed programmes in the schools it works with, such as the Shining Stars food awareness programme for primary school pupils that uses superhero characters Captain Tomato and Calcium Kid.

In secondary schools, The Food Skills for Life programme teaches basic cookery skills.

For any caterer, from the school canteen to family pubs and restaurants, the only way to tackle the issue is one plate at a time. Every child – and parent – is different, and so menus need to feature a range of options to persuade children to try a new flavour or eat a more balanced meal.

The challenge for industry suppliers is neatly summed up by children's author and nutritionist Annabel Karmel, who has developed the range of children's dishes which are available through Brakes. She says: "We need to help the industry improve the quality of food for children and to produce meals that keep to strict nutritional guidelines, but also have strong child appeal."

The meals, produced by Brakes' Creative Foods operation, are road tested on children and include spaghetti bolognaise with hidden vegetable sauce, macaroni cheese, fruity chicken curry and chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce. They have been included on operators' menus such as Hilton Hotels, Orchid Pubs, Youth Hostel Association Holidays and Merlin Entertainments.

The 'hidden goodness' approach used by Karmel with vegetables has also been taken up by Pasta King, which has launched vitamin enriched pasta with added iron, folic acid, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.

Disguising the healthier aspects of children's dishes might seem to be self- defeating when education on healthy eating is also important. However Phil Cumming, UK sales and marketing director at Lamb Weston, points out that caterers fall at the first hurdle if children won't eat the meals served.

"It is now crucial that outlets offer nutritionally balanced meals and snacks to children," he says. "Schools must meet Government guidelines, while family friendly pubs, restaurants and cafés must meet the approval of health conscious parents. Yet somewhere between meeting these standards, the food on offer must also be appetising and appealing to children. This can sometimes present a challenge for caterers: how to be family friendly and offer good value, tasty food for children, while making sure your offering is of nutritional value."

To help meet this challenge the company has just launched Veggie Bites, a dairy based snack with a crisp coating designed as "a healthier replacement for the chicken nugget".

Concerns that 'healthier' children's food is bound to be more bland is rejected by suppliers, who insist that even the simplest dish can be tasty. At a recent sampling of Aviko's Pure Mash, North Lincolnshire Council's operations manager – catering, Julia Storey, described it as the best mash she had ever tasted. This is a product easily made using the quick frozen potato in individual cubes, so caterers can make any quantity to order.

Unilever Foodsolutions says its eatz4u school meals initiative, which it introduced earlier this year, has proved a winner in driving meal uptake among children. The programme provides a bank of more than 120 recipes developed by nutritional and culinary experts plus marketing support.

"Eatz4u has been really well received in all of the schools we are currently working in," comments Paul Harris, national account manager, education.

"The most recent authority to begin implementing eatz4u is Salford City Council where all schools in the area are already, or soon will be, rolling out both back and front of house support. A further six authorities will commence trials in January.

"We know that uptake has increased as a result of eatz4u, but it is still far too early to produce any hard figures. The response has been extremely positive from local authorities, teachers, students and catering staff in areas such as Merthyr, Rhondda, Oxford and Salford. From the feedback we are receiving, we are confident that eatz4u is making a difference and providing the support that schools need, and we will be looking to evaluate uptake figures in the early part of 2010."

Children's palates are often more adventurous than some parents believe. Marlow Foods, owner of the Quorn brand, has carried out sampling sessions for dishes such as chilli and tikka masala with positive results.

Quorn recipes have also been featured at a series of culinary academies for schools held during October and November. The company believes making small changes can be the secret, so introducing a few vegetables with a firm favourite can make a big difference.

Commercial manager foodservice Tony Davison says: "When planning a children's menu, the most important thing to remember is that the food must be enjoyable for the children, so serve them food they love.

"It can be simple to make children's favourites – such as spaghetti bolognaise – healthier by thinking about the ingredients used."

Davison says that by using Quorn mince, which is meat free, and adding the odd vegetable or two, all the children will notice is that the food tastes great.
"We have carried out many sampling sessions across the country where children tried Quorn dishes such as chilli, coronation wraps and tikka masala with positive results. Time and again, the children unanimously say they would choose the dish again. This shows healthy does not mean boring – it just means finding tasty nutritious alternative ingredients."

Allowing kids to put their own meal together can help persuade them to try new flavours. Love Joes, which supplies 40 local education authorities and 130 independent schools, has launched a mini version of its pre-made frozen wraps in three varieties: all day breakfast, chicken tikka masala and Mexican bean. Building on the concept, there is also a DIY version called Love Wrappin' Joes that allows children to add their own choice of fresh ingredients to marinated chicken served in a tortilla wrap.

But it's not just schoolchildren that can do their own thing. A 'tortilla factory' where children can make their own healthy tortilla dishes as well as chicken tikka masala, are among the dishes on the new Marston's Inns & Taverns' children's menu. Food development manager Judith Sinclair Smith says the new menu is simple and easy for children to understand. "We know that sometimes children try their hardest to avoid healthy food as they find it boring. In the tortilla factory, kids can make their own healthy tortillas full of grilled chicken and salad and eat with their fingers – without getting told off."

With tomato sauce an ingredient in many children's favourites, Nestlé Professional has expanded its online Maggi Menu Solutions to include healthier recipe ideas with a full nutritional breakdown for each dish.

Marketing director Martin Lines says: "By being creative with popular recipes and clever in choosing ingredients that are low in fat and salt and can contribute to their 5-a-day, caterers can still offer real crowd pleasing dishes, while hitting nutritional targets."

Adrian Greaves, associate director at McCain Foodservice, sums this up: "Even before the Government's school food guidelines were introduced, school caterers were under immense pressure to turn out hundreds of meals over an incredibly short space of time. Now that pressure is even greater, with increased focus on quality, quantity, cost efficiencies and student appeal."

The company's McCain Purely Potato, a water blanched frozen product supplied in wedge, roast and other popular shapes, was recently launched to respond to these needs.

Greaves explains: "We recognised that if these challenges were to be overcome then suppliers and caterers were going to have to work even harder together, so this is what we did."

Words by John Porter