Member Article

Research lifts the lid on parents’ dining habits 

Whether you’re a serene sofa scoffer or a teatime traditionalist, a new study has revealed what your postcode says about your family dining habits.

A poll of 2,000 Brits found varied and distinctive differences in how parents approach family meal times - with just over a third of families (34 per cent) in Birmingham managing to eat around the table at dinnertime.

Research by Persil Washing Up Liquid discovered 49 per cent of Brummies ban technology, including tablets, mobile phones and consoles from the dining table, compared to 58 per cent in Manchester.

More people in the West Midlands eat in front of the TV (28 per cent) than any other region and despite the move away from traditional dinner time values, mealtimes in the West Midlands are the calmest - West Midlanders claim to have the least arguments over mealtimes than any other region.

Kids in this region are also the least fussy eaters in the UK - 41 per cent of parents don’t have any food struggles, compared to 39 per cent of families in London, who can’t get children to eat and fruit or vegetables.

Speaking about the findings, celebrity children’s food expert Fiona Faulkner, who has advised celebrities including Sarah Beeny, Donna Air and Alice Temperley, said:

“Traditional meal times are changing, routine is always important and family dining is a great part of food education in the home.

“The mistakes we often make when it comes to food and children is stopping meal times from being fun. And children learn their food disciplines for meal times and family dining and from what you like to eat as their parent.

“But if a child is engaging with healthy foods thanks to YouTube videos or their favourite TV programme then we can use that fun to create healthy relationships with meal times and food.

“For the fussiest eaters often associating greens and vegetables with something they enjoy doing like watching their favourite TV programme or playing on their favourite app can really help.”

The research was commissioned by Persil Washing Up Liquid as part of its Cook with the Kids campaign which aims to get parents and children cooking up a mess in the kitchen this summer. Visit www.persildishwash.co.uk for recipes and more information about how parents can claim cooking rewards.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Persil .