Media Release:

Too Many Cooks Improve the Broth

Australian kids mix it up in the kitchen

New research reveals two-thirds¹ of Australian parents find it too time consuming and difficult to involve their children in cooking, and may be doing more harm than good keeping their kids out of the kitchen, according to experts in child nutrition.

The research, conducted by Newspoll on behalf of Flora, found 44 per cent of Australian parents say their children have no interest in food preparation, and a further one in three parents are not personally interested in cooking.

Leading Dietitian Geraldine Georgeou with experience in paediatric nutrition and dietetics, says getting children to make the right healthy eating choices starts in the kitchen at a young age.

"In my clinical experience I have seen enormous benefits from involving kids in the sourcing and preparation of food who then go on to make healthier choices," said Georgeou. "Australian parents need tools to help them foster healthier eating habits and take action," she added.

Pioneering a movement to improve eating habits, Flora has enlisted twin seven year-old boys Jacob and Caleb as Seedlings ambassadors to demonstrate how much fun kids can have in the kitchen. "Cooking with Seedlings" is a unique, five-episode video series that features the boys exploring where food comes from, making healthy snacks and cooking nutritious and simple recipes families can easily put into practice.

Geraldine believes "Cooking with Seedlings" will encourage parents and kids to be more interested in sourcing and cooking food, from plough to plate.

The video content explores the origins of pantry and fridge staples, for example, that milk comes from cows, bread is made from wheat, margarine spread like Flora comes from sunflower seeds, and eggs come from chickens.

The videos aim to promote a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods, as the study also revealed three-quarters of Australian parents are concerned about the balance of nutrients in their children's diets, according to Unilever Spreads Marketing Director Markus Rehde.

"Cooking with Seedlings" encourages kids to think about where food comes from. Presented by kids for kids, it's an engaging tool that aims to get families talking about the better foods to eat," said Rehde.

"The videos are entertaining and available free on YouTube, making them ideal for kids and parents to watch together and then try out the recipes themselves at home," Rehde concluded.

Further notes on the research:

• One in 4 parents rarely or never involve their children in the grocery shopping
• One in 5 parents say their children are rarely or never involved in the selection of products at the supermarket
• Three in 10 parents say their children are not involved in the preparation of home cooked meals
• Around seven in 10 parents indicated that they would like to
• spend more time talking to their children about healthy eating and healthy cooking;
• know more about the sorts of things they should be explaining to their children in relation to nutrition and healthy food preparation;
• (with nearly one in 5 strongly agreeing with each of these).

Geraldine's top five tips to get children involved in the kitchen

• Decide on a weekly meal plan together - sit down, go through cookbooks and choose at least a couple of meals to prepare together
• Get your kids to write the shopping list
• Invite them to help you do the grocery shopping to encourage interest
• Make shopping more exciting by alternating visits to farmers markets or green grocers with trips to the supermarket
• Let them help you mix ingredients, wash vegetables and separate eggs. Gradually increase the complexity of their tasks depending on their age and confidence.

The "Cooking with Seedlings" video series can be found on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/CookingWithSeedlings

1 Research was conducted by Newspoll on behalf of Flora in January 2009 to a representative sample of 303 parents with children aged 3-17 in their household.

Mum Zone Release Date: 21st April 2009

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