Vege test stumps children

Dietitian Vicki Martin expounds the virtues of vegetables to her young audience in a Auckland supermarket. Picture / Greg Bowker

Henry Asamoah will eat cucumber. As long as it comes from McDonald's.

The 7-year-old Aucklander will happily chow down on a packed school lunch of sandwiches and fruit. But if handed lunch money, he will go for the hot dogs, fish and chips every time.

Sound familiar?

It's the type of attitude worrying health advocates as children's eating habits are thrust back into the spotlight by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver with his hit television series Jamie's School Dinners.

His stark message about the school food being served up to British children struck a chord with the public and more than 150,000 Britons signed an online petition supporting his "Feed Me Better" campaign for healthier meals.

The furore even prompted British Prime Minister Tony Blair to publicly back Oliver and unveil plans to improve school food.

New Zealand's Fight the Obesity Epidemic (FOE) spokeswoman Dr Robyn Toomath says Oliver's message is "fantastically valuable" to New Zealanders amid a campaign to rid school tuck shops of the plentiful high-fat and -sugar foods.

"There is a section of the community who haven't quite got it yet and and will get it as a result of seeing Jamie Oliver on television," Dr Toomath says.

But Dr Jonathan Coleman, a former GP turned political hopeful who has witnessed eating habits in South Auckland schools, is not so optimistic. "Whether [Oliver's] message would get through in South Auckland is hard to say. It's hard for people raised with certain diets to break lifelong eating habits."

The Herald joined a cross-section of Auckland 5- to 10-year-olds visiting a central Auckland supermarket this week to gauge their views on food and nutrition.

The group readily identified vegetables such as cauliflower and lettuce. Everyone recognised brussels sprouts, but no one wanted to eat them. Celery was identified as cabbage or parsley by the blank-faced youngsters, while the best guess at rhubarb was beetroot.

Courgettes? "What's that?" asked Tetio Paulo, 9.

The kids were far more at home in the aisle with their favourite crisps. They weren't so keen on healthier alternatives like Rice Wheels crunchy snacks.

"Rice Wheels make me feel sick," said 7-year-old Josh Wijohn.

The kids regularly took lunch boxes to school filled with Nutella or peanut-butter sandwiches, fruit and muesli bars, but all said they would go for the fried foods like fish and chips or chicken nuggets by choice.

Healtheries dietitian Vicki Martin says the packed lunches taken by the group were not bad, but the most popular sandwich spreads such as Nutella were not giving active kids the protein needed.

Chicken, egg, fish or cheese would make better fillings.

Martin says she was surprised that all of the children took fruit in their lunches. Most had "reasonable" vegetable habits.

"Most have got some favourites, which is good. But you have got to try new things all the time."

Breakfast cereal choices by the group was a "big disappointment".

Almost all went for high-sugar varieties, while Josh stood out like a beacon with his choice of Weetbix.

"When you think about pressured parents, it's possible they will get the favourite cereals because they want to get [the kids] to eat something. Habits have to be started young."

Toomath says the Government had taken a "hands-off" approach to food sold at schools and so many schools had no policy of their own.

"The school tuck shops are making truckloads of money. It's only if someone says this is against the law, or against the rules or makes chips five times more expensive, is anything going to change."

Ministry of Education acting operational policy manager Kay Phillips says the ministry supports the efforts made by schools, communities and parents to encouraging children to eat well and get plenty of physical exercise.

"Schools, as self-managing organisations, are in the best position to decide on the foods and drinks that they will allow to be sold at their school."

From this month the Ministry of Health will offer eligible primary schools the chance to apply to be part of the free fruit scheme.

ARE NZ CHILDREN TOO FAT?

* One-third of NZ children are overweight or obese.
* Nearly one in 10 are obese.
* Pacific Island children are the heaviest with more than 60% either overweight or obese.
* 47% of Maori girls and 35% of Maori boys are overweight or obese.

Source: National Children's Nutrition Survey.