Partnership promotes breakfast benefits for young minds

The British Nutrition Foundation and Magic Breakfast have partnered up to promote the health and wellbeing benefits of a nutritious breakfast for children.

Under the claim “No child should go hungry!”, both organisations have explained that diet and nutrition are important for children’s development. With this in mind, they have said that they will be using the partnership to explore the link between breakfast consumption and health in children and young people.

All primary school children in London to receive free school meals

According to the organisations, schools act as an “essential setting” for promoting healthy behaviours and providing meaningful opportunities for establishing healthier diets. This includes offering nutritious foods at mealtimes such as breakfast.

As part of the project, nutrition scientists from the British Nutrition Foundation will be carrying out and publishing the findings of a narrative review, conducted to explore the scientific evidence examining breakfast intake in school aged children and how this impacts their nutrient intakes, health outcomes and performance and attainment at school.

What’s more the review will consider outcomes in children living in low-income households, as they are “often the most vulnerable to food insecurity and poor nutrition”, according to the British Nutrition Foundation.

To raise further awareness the British Nutrition Foundation will also be hosting a roundtable event with key stakeholders, including multidisciplinary expert representatives, to discuss the findings and implications of the review paper.

“As a nutrition charity, we are acutely aware of the impact a healthy diet can have on children’s health and wellbeing, and the challenges that many families currently face in being able to provide the food their children need,” said Elaine Hindal, Chief Executive of the British Nutrition Foundation.

Hindal went on to explain that she believes the partnership can be used to “make a real difference to children’s lives” through looking at the “science behind breakfast”.

Also commenting on the partnership, Lindsey MacDonald, Chief Executive of Magic Breakfast, said: “Going to school hungry not only hinders children’s learning, it can also have serious long-term consequences on their health and development.

“We passionately believe that no child or young person should go hungry, and that a healthy and nutritious breakfast is a proven way to fuel learning and every child’s potential. This has never been more vital as the number of children struggling in the UK has more than doubled in the past year.”

The research project is being supported with an educational grant from Arla, Heinz and Quaker. Going forward, Magic Breakfast and the British Nutrition Foundation hope that the partnership will allow for a robust evidence base to be established that can be used to “support policy, make a real difference to the lives of children and reduce the impact of poverty on their health and wellbeing”.

“We are looking forward to building on the work we do at Magic Breakfast and deepening our understanding of the impact that breakfast can have on the lives of children,” concluded MacDonald.