The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) is currently running an initiative known as Snack-tember! It released the results of a survey it carried out today that took place between 18-29th November 2024, Over 2500 children and young people from across the UK took part, 79% from secondary and 21% from primary schools. The aim of the study was to find out more about snacking behaviour, a previous study showed that 92% of children consume snacks and these can contribute from 231-565 kcal a day to their diet, potentially contributing to the increased risk of childhood obesity (O’Kane et al., 2023).
The results of the BNF survey showed that most snack choices are typically those high in salt, sugar and fat, 79% snacked two or more times a day and most of these were eaten after school with most finding it difficult to choose healthy options.
Snack-tember hopes to raise awareness of the need for children to make and consume healthier and more sustainable snacks. The BNF will be supporting schools who are participating in Snack-tember with materials such as recipes, posters and activity ideas. To find out more, visit: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/snack-tember-2025/.
References
British Nutrition Foundation. (2025) The Great Snack Survey. http://www.nutrition.org.uk/news/new-survey-reveals-unhealthy-foods-dominate-young-people-s-snacking/
O’Kane, N., Watson, S., Kehoe, L., O’Sullivan, E., Muldoon, A., Woodside, J.,…Nugent, A. (2023). The patterns and position of snacking in children in aged 2-12 years: A scoping review. Appetite, 188, 106974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106974
MLT Nutrition 