THE UK’s top visitor attractions, including some of Scotland’s most popular sites, are selling pre-prepared children’s lunchboxes “loaded” with sugar and processed food as the norm, a charity has claimed.
The Soil Association’s annual Out To Lunch survey found 75 per cent of children’s lunchboxes sold at popular attractions did not include any vegetable or salad option – and 50 per cent offered boxes that included sweet treats but no fresh fruit.
Stirling Castle, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh were named as among the worst offenders.
Parents acting as secret diners also reported that few attractions actively provided free fresh drinking water for children, but made sugary drinks readily available for sale, while a lunchbox at one attraction was found to include 36g of sugar – 189 per cent of a child’s recommended daily allowance.
Parents at one attraction said they were refused a glass of tap water and told to buy a bottle from the restaurant, and no vending machines at any attractions offered healthy drinks as the normal option, the charity said.
The survey found cost was an indication of healthy food, with children’s meals at attractions in the bottom five of the league table on average more than £1 more expensive than those in the top five.
A survey for the study found just 14 per cent of parents thought that children’s food at popular attractions was good enough.
However, the two top attractions on the annual league table, the Eden Project and Chester Zoo, both offered healthier choices, with Chester Zoo serving locally sourced milk and farm-assured meat, while all meals at the Eden Project were freshly prepared and included locally sourced meat and vegetables.
Soil Association policy officer Rob Percival said: “Visitor attractions are making life hard for parents who want to enjoy a healthy and happy day out.
“Lunchboxes loaded with sugar and unimaginative ultra-processed foods are the norm.
“So long as junk-filled lunchboxes characterise family outings, parents will have a hard time convincing their children that healthy food can be a treat too.”
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