Schools are an essential setting for promoting healthy behaviours and providing meaningful opportunities for establishing healthier diets, including access to nutritious foods at mealtimes such as breakfast. Research shows that breakfast can have a ‘significant impact’ on children’s learning, with hunger interfering with attendance and behaviour in class. Worryingly, 3m children are at risk of starting the school day hungry.
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the BNF said: “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. We are delighted to partner with Magic Breakfast to look at the science behind breakfast and children’s health and how we can use this to make a real difference to children’s lives.”
As part of the partnership, scientists from the BNF will undertake and publish a narrative review, which will explore breakfast intake in school aged children and how this impacts their nutrient intakes, health outcomes and performance as well as attainment at school.
The review will also consider outcomes in children living in low-income households, as they are often the most vulnerable to food insecurity and poor nutrition. The BNF will also host a roundtable event with key stakeholders, including multidisciplinary expert representatives, to discuss the findings and implications of the review paper.
Lindsey MacDonald, chief executive of Magic Breakfast, added: “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. Partnering with the British Nutrition Foundation, 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.”
By working together, BNF and Magic Breakfast hope to further develop a robust evidence base to support policy, make a real difference to the lives of children and reduce the impact of poverty on their health and wellbeing.