Good News, and Bad, in Survey of Toddler Eating Habits

The state of preschool nutrition? Toddlers are being fed fewer sugary drinks and desserts, but up to half still eat fast food every week and one-third don't eat a single vegetable daily.

October 22, 2010 at 8:18AM by Marion Nestle | comment

Nestlé, the world's largest food company (no relation) has conducted periodic studies of infant feeding practices since 2002, no doubt to encourage sales of its Gerber products. (Editor's Note: Nestlé sells everything from bottled water to breakfast cereals, including junk food like Butterfinger and Kit Kat bars, and Häagen-Dazs ice cream.) The surveys—FITS (Feeding Infants and Nutrition) Studies—invariably show that Gerber baby foods would be better for babies than what they currently are fed.

The latest FITS results, says the Nestlé press release, "are startling."

One-third of toddlers and 50% of preschoolers eat fast food at least once a week.
One-quarter of families eat dinner together four or fewer nights each week.
Half of 2-year-olds and 60% of 3-year-olds watch more than one hour of television each day.
17% of 2-year-olds and 24% of 3-year-olds watch more than two hours of TV each day.
25% of older infants, toddlers and preschoolers do not eat even one serving of fruit on a given day, and 30% do not eat a single serving of vegetables.
French fries are still the most popular vegetable among toddlers and preschoolers.
71% of toddlers and 84% of preschoolers consume more sodium than recommended on a given day.

If these trends are real, could food marketing have anything to do with them? Nestlé/Gerbers does not speculate.

The survey does report some good news:

“Only” 17% of infants age 6-8 months consumed a dessert or sweetened beverage on a given day compared to 36% in 2002.
“Only” 14% of infants age 12-14 months drank a sweetened beverage on a given day, down from 29% in 2002.
33% of mothers are breastfeeding 9-11 month old children compared to 21% in 2002

The breastfeeding trend, if true, is good news indeed. Evidently, the word is also getting out on sweetened beverages. Progress? Yes, but plenty more to do.

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tags: fast food, nestle, toddler nutrition survey, junk food, preschool nutrition survey, kid nutrition, toddler eating habits, preschool eating habits

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Marion Nestle

Noted author Marion Nestle is a Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is the author of What to Eat.
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