Beko has released the results of a global survey that reveals a gap in children’s knowledge and interest in healthy eating compared to their knowledge and interest in football.
Last month, the brand, with support from partners FC Barcelona, the Barça Foundation and UNICEF, surveyed over 13,500 children aged 6-10 across 18 countries. The findings show that children are significantly better informed about football than they are about healthy eating, and when it comes to making healthy food choices, they can be positively influenced.
When asked why they eat healthy food, over two-thirds of children across all 18 countries said they do so because they understand that it is good for them. A further 80 per cent of children said they would be more interested in eating healthy food if they knew their hero or role model took healthy eating seriously too.
Over 70 per cent of children could identify the number of players in a professional football team, but only one fifth of children knew the recommended portions of fruit or vegetables that they should eat each day.
In the UK the key findings were:
- 68 per cent of kids in the UK were able to correctly identify that the official fruit and vegetable recommendation is five portions per day;
- More than a third of children would prefer to eat unhealthy food if given the choice, with over half of kids claiming it ‘tastes better’;
- But, 80 per cent of kids in the UK claim they enjoy eating healthy food because they know it is good for them – overall we’re doing a fantastic job.
Beko’s ‘Eat Like A Pro’ initiative, in partnership with UNICEF and the Barça Foundation, was launched last year with the mission to help prevent childhood obesity worldwide. After enlisting support from FC Barcelona heroes in an award-winning online campaign, Beko donated one million euros to fund six UNICEF programmes in Latin America to support children, parents, schools and governments with healthy eating. The programmes target over 500,000 children.
Beko releases the global survey alongside a video starring FC Barcelona player and Eat Like A Pro global ambassador, Gerard Piqué, who surprised a group of school children to quiz them on their knowledge of football and food, and inspire them by revealing his own healthy habits.
Keval Shah, Head of Marketing, Beko plc UK & Ireland, said: “Through our partnerships with FC Barcelona, the Barça Foundation and UNICEF we have developed a campaign that tackles a serious global issue, and one we felt we could make a difference to. The findings of this study confirm the job we still have to do to help prevent childhood obesity, but they show that Eat Like A Pro can play a key role in helping families and inspiring children around the world to lead healthier lives.”
