FEWER children are getting their five-a-day than four years ago, according to new figures which also reveal the issue gets worse with age.
The stark results of the Children and Young People’s Survey, conducted by Statistics Jersey, were described as a “serious red flag” by the head of a food charity.
The survey collected responses from 4,360 students across various school years and revealed trends in diet, sleep and physical activity.
Under a quarter (23%) of students in Years 6, 8 and 10 reported eating at least five portions of fruit or vegetables daily, down from 30% in 2021.
And the proportion decreases significantly with age, with 32% of Year 4 students meeting the recommendation compared to 10% by Year 12.
Yvonne Corbin, chief executive of the food charity Caring Cooks, described the figures as “a serious red flag”.
She said the decline in healthy eating habits was driven by cost-of-living pressures and the easy availability of unhealthy food.
Ms Corbin said: “Families are under huge pressure financially, and when you’re juggling bills and time, grabbing cheaper, processed food is often the easiest option. Fresh fruit and veg can feel out of reach, especially when you’re feeding a family.
“As kids get older, they’ve got more freedom around food choices but they’re also bombarded with unhealthy options everywhere; vending machines, fast food, shops, social media. Even if they know what’s healthy, it’s not always the easy choice.”
She explained that Caring Cooks has been working to improve access to nutritious meals and educate young people about healthy food choices – running programmes such as Let’s Get Cooking and Healthier Habits to teach children essential cooking skills – while also providing thousands of free meals to families in need and supporting the government’s hot school meals programme in primary schools.
“The decline in healthy eating habits is clear and it’s something we can’t afford to ignore,” Ms Corbin added. “We need to make healthy food more accessible, affordable and visible. And we need to work with more schools, parents and the wider community to make real change stick.”
