Parents serve up fruit bribes

Having looked at five-a-day intake of children across the UK, the survey proved that parents are not alone in the daily fruit and veg battle.

With so many children being so picky with their food, it’s no surprise to also hear that around two in 10 (22 per cent) of parents admit to hiding fruit and veg in their child’s food at least once a day.

It’s not just the parents who are being crafty – children are being sneaky too, with 13 per cent of parents catching their child trading the fruit and veg in their lunchboxes.

The survey also revealed which fruit and vegetables parents struggle to get their children to eat the most, with millennial favourite avocado (19 per cent) topping the charts as the most hated or refused fruit, closely followed by figs (18), grapefruit (16), pomegranate (12) and kiwi at 11 per cent.

Sprouts are the most disliked vegetable mentioned by parents (36 per cent) with a further quarter (25) answering asparagus and cabbage, followed by 24 per cent of parents mentioning spinach, broccoli and onion.

The top excuses for children not eating their fruit and veg include not liking the taste (54), the texture (25) or the smell (21).

Looking to favourites, the survey showed that over half (52) of Britain’s parents consider apples as one of their children’s top ten favourite fruits, closely followed by strawberries and bananas.

The top ten shape up like - apple 52, strawberry 51, banana 49, grape 44, orange 30, melon 28, raspberry 26, pear 26, pineapple 24, satsuma 24 per cent.

Nutritional Therapist, Filomena Komodromou, has suggested some easy swaps parents can put in place at home to make up for any deficits.

She said: “If you struggle to feed your child cruciferous vegetables, alternative fruit and vegetables such as peppers, strawberries, avocados, kiwis and spinach contain vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, vitamins K, C and E, making them a great alternative option to help make sure your child gets all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay happy and healthy.”

Susanne Fraser, Marketing Manager of Fruit Bowl, said: “Here at Fruit Bowl we are a team of parents and know first-hand how difficult it can be to make sure our children get their five-a-day, every day, and we know it’s a struggle that lots of other parents have.

“Knowing the different options we have as parents is a reassuring way for us to make sure our children get the vitamins and nutrients they need from their five-a-day and for them to enjoy it.”