45% of UK Parents Cook More Than One Meal A Night To Appease Fussy Eaters

April 18, 2019
by Rebecca Down Learn

    We recently ran a survey of 2,000 parents of kids aged 4-16 that revealed that nearly one in two parents feel obliged to cook more than one different meal each night to make sure everyone around the table will eat their dinner.

    45% of parents feel they spend more time in the kitchen than needed trying to appease everyone with the meals they want. Despite these efforts, the average parent will have their child outright refuse to eat two of the meals they prepare each week, and two meals will only be picked at before being thrown away.

    Head Chef Andre (and dad of two) commented that “creating a meal that everyone will enjoy is really important to parents. From this study, we have seen that parents are spending hours making multiple meals in order to feed the whole family and are still met with resistance from fussy eaters.”

    Parents surveyed mentioned that picking out ingredients they don’t like is a common occurrence with one in five kids doing this on a regular basis. Three in 10 kids will send a meal back to their parent if it looks a bit burnt.

    Popular techniques to get fussy eaters on side:

    According to our survey, a quarter of parents let their child eat in front of the TV, and two in five will tell them they only have to try a little bit, rather than finishing their entire plate. Though 22% will try to disguise the fuss-causing food in a sauce so their child doesn’t even know they are eating it.

    Some tough-to-please kids aren’t easily fooled, however. When presented with the food they dislike, 38% flat-out refuse to touch their dinner, and one in seven burst into tears as a diversion.

    One in four kids will attempt to bargain with their parents to try and avoid eating what is in front of them, and 14% will attempt to dispose of their dinner in the bin themselves. As a result of these tantrums, 45% of parents worry their child might not be eating a balanced diet.

    To avoid the risk of having to throw an uneaten meal away, two-thirds of parents say they stick to a regular menu of meals which they know are guaranteed to please, rather than trying new things at dinner time.

    One Dish For All: Our Tried and Tested Family Recipes

    We listen to both parents and kids who use HelloFresh to understand what the whole family want from their evening meal and develop recipes that both adults and kids enjoy so everyone can share and enjoy the one meal. Here are a few of our favourites that can be added to your box in the next couple of weeks:

    Mexican Beef Loaded Wedges: Available from April 27th

    [button content=”Add Recipe” color=”green” text=”black” url=”https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/menus/2019-W18/family-menu” openin=”_self”]

    Creamy Veggie Penne: Available From May 4th

    [button content=”Add Recipe” color=”green” text=”black” url=”https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/menus/2019-W19/family-menu” openin=”_self”]

    Creamy Chicken Curry: Available From May 11th

    [button content=”Add Recipe” color=”green” text=”black” url=”https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/menus/2019-W20/family-menu” openin=”_self”]

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