European Parents Do Not Compromise On Children’s Food

Burger or soup? Lemonade or fruit juice? Which foods and drinks end up on people’s plates, often depends on whether kids join the meal. On the occasion of the Universal Children’s Day, which is celebrated on 20th November, the market research institute TNS and GNT Group, leading global provider of Colouring Foods, give insights into the eating and shopping habits of parents around the world. The data have been collected in the course of a recent global study that interviewed 5,000 consumers aged 18 to 70 in ten American, Asian and European countries, including 2,400 parents with children living at home.

The survey reveals that 82 percent of parents worldwide and 79 percent of European mothers and fathers place great value on natural food and drinks in order to provide their children with a well-balanced diet and serve as a role model. The number is especially striking compared to households without children, where only 67 percent of all global respondents state that they are concerned with a healthy nutrition. For their little ones, parents will even dig deeper into their pockets: three out of four mothers and fathers are willing to disregard the price when choosing healthy products for their kids. The average for Europe is 62 percent.

A balancing act between the desire for naturalness and pressure of time

When reconciling household chores, children and their job, parents may easily run short of time. Thus, it is hardly surprising that nearly half of them (46 percent) consider ready-to-eat products as a good alternative to fresh food. Nevertheless, they only allow for convenience food on their plates when they are convinced of its naturalness: 75 percent of parents worldwide do not compromise on their children’s meals and buy healthy products even though this means investing more time and effort. “The results of our study clearly show that parents wish to buy natural food and drinks for their children. At the same time, however, many parents around the world would like the preparation of meals to be easy and quick. This opens a chance for food manufacturers, if they succeed in offering products that fulfil both needs”, states Dr. Hendrik Hoeck, Managing Director of GNT Group.

With a watchful eye: the shopping habits of parents

In order to make sure that their demands are met, mothers and fathers look closely when shopping for groceries: 75 percent of parents worldwide check the ingredient label before they add a product to their trolley, whereas only 61 percent of all respondents, who have no children at home, do the same. Products especially fail the test, when E-numbers show up on the label. 70 percent of all parents avoid purchasing food with synthetic additives. In this regard, colourants are of specific significance: “with natural colours” is one of the most important buying criteria for 59 percent of parents around the world.

“The study demonstrates that artificial additives and especially synthetic colours have a significant negative influence on the purchase decisions of parents”, says Dr. Hendrik Hoeck. “Since Colouring Foods are a completely natural alternative to colourants, they help food producers to offer clear label products that meet the requirements of this important target group.”