Pair Clara Hidalgo
Published on 06/03/2024 at 12:00, Updated on 06/03/2024 at 15:50
59% of young people aged 15 to 24 say they eat in a fast food restaurant at least once a week, compared to 37% for the rest of the population. DENIS CHARLET / AFP
The government has requested a survey be carried out on French consumption, in order to encourage healthier eating, particularly for children.
Knowledge of fruits and vegetables is being lost among the new generation. This is the observation established by the latest study conducted by Harris Interactive published Tuesday March 5. It reveals that one in five young French people (20%) cannot distinguish a zucchini from a cucumber. This survey was carried out in February 2024 among a sample of 1,058 people aged over 15, at the request of the Minister Delegate in charge of Business, Tourism and Consumption, Olivia Grégoire.
The government wants to strengthen food education for the French, and particularly for children, in order to encourage them to eat a healthier diet, based on fresh produce. Food education is both “an issue of equal opportunities”, “a major public health issue” et “an issue of purchasing power”, declared the Minister Delegate at a press conference on Tuesday. We must compensate “the breakdown of food culture”she insisted before adding that “Food education is a social subject that sustainably structures our consumption habits and shapes the future of our children”.
Poorly diversified diet
The survey warns regarding the food culture of young people. Concretely, he showed participants photographs of fruits and vegetables. Result: 20% of young people confused zucchini with cucumber, 4% of them might not identify a cauliflower and 13% confused a grapefruit with a blood orange.
This lack of food knowledge is partly explained by the lack of dietary diversity among young people. They eat less fresh fruit and vegetables than older French people. When 81% of those questioned say they eat fresh fruits and vegetables, 89% of 15-24 year olds say they eat starchy foods (pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.) and canned goods and jars (40% of young people).
The high consumption of processed foods, prepared meals or fast food by young people also explains why they do not know how to recognize fruits and vegetables. In fact, 59% of young people aged 15 to 24 say they eat in a fast food restaurant at least once a week, compared to 37% for the rest of the population. As for processed dishes, 44% of young people say they eat them several times a week, compared to 23% of French people aged over 24.
To justify their choice of buying meals already prepared or purchased outside, young people put forward the financial argument. Half of them think it costs less than cooking. But also that it is easier and quicker to prepare (74%). However, 73% of young people believe that it is important to know the origin of the products they consume, compared to 85% of French people over 24 years old.
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Educate young people
What can we do to encourage 15-24 year olds to eat better? 83% of young people recognize that it would be useful to develop information and education on food products and how to cook them from primary school onwards. Olivia Grégoire wants to tackle this subject of “food education at school” for several reasons. First for “justice and equal opportunities”. “It is low-income families who consume the most processed foods, and do not have time to cook because they have irregular schedules”detailed the minister during the press conference, emphasizing single-parent families, which represent a quarter of families, reports South West .
Educating young people to eat well is also a public health issue, she argued: «Obesity represents a cost of more than 10 billion euros per year, not to mention the problems of eating disorders, diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and the development of cancers. The minister finally mentioned the issue of purchasing power. According to a report from the Familles Rurales consumer association published last January, the price of foods good for health soared in 2023, with +40.6% for carrots, +23.2% for semi-skimmed milk or +20.4% for rice.