UK restaurant chains have been accused of “ripping off parents” by offering ready meals. food and ultra-processed foods on children’s menus.
The Soil Association found that food is “rarely” prepared and cooked on site using fresh. Ingredientsjust being heated with pre-made pasta sauce. The restaurant Like Bella Italia, Prezzo and TGI Fridays.
The food and farming charity used undercover diners and direct surveys of restaurant chains to compile its annual Out to Lunch league table ranking of menus, which found “an abundance of unhealthy options, overly sugary desserts , problematic items, and ultra-processed and low-welfare meats were detected.”
In a survey sent to chains, the Soil Association asked them to provide information on the extent to which their three most popular foods are freshly prepared.
Apart from Wahaca and Carluccio’s, he found that family favorites were generally not made on-site with minimally processed ingredients.
Price was not a deterrent to a better children’s menu, with high-scoring JD Wetherspoon one of the cheapest chains surveyed for offering all its children’s meals with two vegetable portions and a fruit option for pudding. .
At Wahaca, the children’s meals were mostly prepared on-site with fresh ingredients while being cheaper than many chains offering reheated dishes.
According to analysis by the Soil Association, at least 40% of 140 protein options on the high street – meat, fish and plant-based – were ultra-processed.
Only Wagamama, Nando’s and Leon offered children’s menus that were completely free of artificially sweetened and sugar-added beverages.
Most fruit and vegetables come from overseas, with only one restaurant – Nando’s – reporting to use 100% British meat for children’s meals, and KFC and TGI Fridays serving meat from as far afield as Thailand and Brazil. are
The charity rated Franco Manca at the bottom of its table, saying the chain failed to serve enough vegetables to children and refused to share details of its sourcing and preparation methods with parents or the soil association.
However, a handful of “mainstream” restaurants – including Whaka and JD Witherspoon – have for the first time pledged to report to the Soil Association on ultra-processed ingredients in their kitchens.
Both restaurants top the league table for providing freshly prepared and healthy options for kids.
The findings come from research by the Food Standards Agency that shows ultra-processed food is a major concern for Britons.
Secret Diner Becca Watts, a mum from Stevenage, said: “I want to go out with my son and have something fresh and healthy.
“When I was young, almost everything was made from scratch, but nowadays it’s all in packets and you almost feel like you’re being cheated. What happened to fresh, home-cooked meals?
“If we wanted pre-made carbonara, we could go to the store and pay less, and that way I could see all the ingredients. I want to know what’s going into my son’s food. “We don’t know how all these extras will affect their health.”
Ona Battafuco, senior policy officer at the Mati Association, said: “Parents want and deserve better – they’ve told us that fresh food and healthy, tasty choices are their top priority when eating out with their children. eat
“Restaurant chains are facing significant cost pressures, and we sympathize with the challenges they face, but we are concerned that some chains may be misleading, or even essentially prepared, food. It’s often not what parents think they’re paying for, and it’s relevant at a time when ultra-processed foods are dominating British children’s diets.
“It’s not all bad news, though. A handful of chains are doing brilliantly, serving freshly prepared, responsibly sourced, healthy and delicious food, as well as providing transparency in ingredient sourcing. have been – and all at a reasonable price.”
Thomasina Miers, co-founder of Wahaca, said: “I am extremely proud that Wahaca has won the top spot in the Soil Association’s baby food awards.
“It’s great to see that cooking from scratch, having free-range chicken and using Riverford organic produce is eliminating the noise of chicken nuggets and chips, which appear on many ‘kids’ menus across the country. .
“I love that kids at Wahka can make their own tacos and learn how things like lemons have such a big impact on seasoning. We’ll continue to work on these menus as we continue to work on our main menus. Because we wholeheartedly believe in raising a nation of children who love food and taste.”