Give children semi-skimmed milk at two, says food agency
Nurseries are being advised that children should drink semi-skimmed milk from the age of two to help prevent heart disease in later life.
The advice follows the launch today of a major new advertising campaign by the Food Standards Agency to raise awareness of the health risks of eating too much saturated fat.
According to the FSA, most adults in the UK are eating about 20 per cent more than the maximum recommended amount of saturated fat.
Over time, a diet high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood, which can increase the risk of developing heart disease.
Although children under five should not be on a low-fat diet, the FSA says that children could switch to semi-skimmed milk when they are two. Fully skimmed milk is not suitable until children are at least five years old because it does not contain sufficient calories for growth.
The School Food Trust recommends semi-skimmed milk for children in primary school.
Rosemary Hignett, FSA head of nutrition, said, 'Milk and dairy foods provide protein, vitamins and minerals and are a good source of calories for growing children. As children grow older it is important to think about encouraging them to eat healthily. Existing advice recommends that, as long as they are eating a varied and balanced diet, it is fine for them to move on to semi-skimmed milk from the age of two.'
She added,'The Eatwell campaign gives simple practical tips so that we can all reduce the amount of saturated fat we eat. One easy way to do this is to swap whole milk for semi-skimmed or 1 per cent fat milk.'
The FSA has compiled a list of practical tips on the campaign website to help people cut down on saturated fat with a new recipe section at www.eatwell.gov.uk.
