Our survey showed half of children admit to eating crisps once a day and almost one in five eat crisps twice a day or more. Our hard-hitting advertisement, featuring a young girl drinking from a bottle of cooking oil, has reinforced the point that eating crisps every day is too often. It has struck a chord with parents, children and the community at large.
But oil in crisps is just the tip of the iceberg. Obesity will continue to be a problem if children do not curb their unhealthy snacking habits and keep eating takeaways and microwave meals on a frequent basis.
Research shows that a diet high in salt and fat, and low in fresh fruit and vegetables, increases our chances of premature death from heart disease.
That is why Food4Thought is teaching children about health and nutrition and about what's really lurking in their snacks, sweets, crisps and ready meals.
Our free teachers' resource kits, which come in over-sized burger boxes, aim to drive the Food4Thought message home to children in 2,500 schools across the UK. We believe these resources are tackling the rising obesity rate at a grassroots level by educating children in their language, on their terms.
Food4Thought does not tell children what they can and cannot eat - instead, it presents the hard facts. Once armed with this information, we know they can make healthier choices.
We want them to become more aware and better understand the potential damage unhealthy foods can do to their hearts and health.
Find out about Food4Thought on bhf.org.uk/food.
