Colourful cauliflowers latest ploy to get kids eating veges

Orange, emerald green, and shocking pink varieties of cauliflower are being sold by UK supermarket chain Tesco. Photo / Thinkstock

Getting children to eat their greens has been an age-old problem for parents.

But new rainbow-coloured cauliflowers could tip the balance in their favour in the fight for healthy food on the dinner table.

The vivid orange, emerald green, and shocking pink varieties of the vegetable are hoped to widen its appeal to youngsters and combat a dip in demand.

Along with traditional white varieties, they will be sold in a "rainbow pack" by UK supermarket chain Tesco.

Grown in Lincolnshire, the coloured cauliflowers are all naturally produced but have been crossed with other types of the brassica family, which includes green cabbage and broccoli, to make exciting colour variations and boost falling sales.

The move is hoped to help improve cauliflower popularity after it was overtaken by broccoli.

Tesco said statistics from retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel show in the last two years volume sales of cauliflower have fallen by 6.5 per cent across all retailers while demand for broccoli has grown by 2.5 per cent.

"When food was rationed during and after the Second World War cauliflower became part of the nation's staple meat and two veg diet at school and at home," Tesco greens buyer Jeni Gray said.

"However cauliflower appears to have lost out to broccoli [as] in the last few years it was being hailed as a 'superfood' by health and food experts."

The coloured varieties follow the recent arrival of pink and yellow mushrooms into the fresh produce aisles in Tesco.

Cauliflower is low in calories and a source of vitamin C, as well as containing folic acid, vitamin B6 and potassium.

- AAP