Nutritionist puts kids’ menus under the spotlight

East Metropolitan Health Service Principal Public Health Nutritionist - Community and Population Health, Dr Claire Pulker has played a key role in an Australian-first study focused on evaluating the nutritional content of kids’ menus at Perth restaurants and cafés.

 

The ground-breaking study found that typically, they did not provide healthy choices for children.

 

Claire led the research study with the Telethon Kids Institute and said the findings were concerning given the increasing frequency with which Australian families now eat out – on average, two to three times a week – and highlight that the food environment surrounding children is not supportive of good health.

 

The study reviewed the menus of 787 cafes and restaurants located across a vast swathe of Perth, stretching from the City of Swan in the North to the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale in the South.

 

A third of the establishments reviewed offered a separate kids’ menu, usually designed for children under the age of 12 years. Of these, 70 per cent were classified as ‘red’ under the Healthy Options WA Food and Nutrition Policy traffic light classification system, and 99.2 per cent scored in the ‘unhealthy’ category, using a validated scoring tool.

 

Water was offered on only 1.5 per cent of the kids’ menus reviewed.

 

Claire said restaurants or cafés that had a kids’ menu appealed to families because this suggested they were child friendly. However, the energy-dense, nutrient-poor nature of the food typically featured on such menus – combined with the increasing frequency with which Australian families eat out or order in prepared food – meant children were being exposed to high amounts of saturated fat, salt and added sugar on a regular basis.

 

“What used to be the odd special occasion for parties or events is now a regular weekly habit for families,” Claire said.

 

She explained that the issue was that kids’ menus reviewed typically lacked nutritious choices such as whole-grain products, salads, vegetables and fruit-based desserts. Instead, they included a lot of foods high in fat and salt, like pizza or chicken nuggets and French fries, with sugar-sweetened beverages often bundled in as the default drink option.

 

“Portion sizes were also often larger than most children would normally eat, which encourages the overconsumption of energy,” Claire added.

 

“The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures from 2017-18 revealed energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods contributed 41 per cent of daily energy intake for children, and 35 per cent for adults.

 

“Unfortunately, one-quarter of Australian children and two-thirds of Australian adults were classified as overweight or obese.”