Children′s Snack Food Consumption Patterns in Germany and England

Abstract

Primary schoolchildren′s snack food consumption patterns and food preferences were investigated by interview technique in schools in Germany and England and analysed on the basis of culture, sex and social class. There were significant differences in the proportions of children who took chocolate to school in the various social classes in both England and Germany and there were also highly significant differences in the total number of chocolate bars consumed each week by the different social classes in both countries. Food choices from a table display containing a range of snack foods popular in both countries showed highly significant differences between German and English children with German children preferring a much higher proportion of “healthy food options”, e.g. fruit, yogurt, milchschnitte (sponge cake snack), etc. compared with English children who chose four chocolate products out of their five most preferred items. Reasons for such differences could be related to advertising pressures, nutrition education experience, parental attitudes, convenience and availability, income constraints and psychological factors.