Improve Scottish children’s poor diets or risk their future health – experts

Urgent action is needed to tackle children’s poor diets or risk jeopardising their future health, experts have warned, after a report revealed “extremely concerning” findings.

The Dietary Intake in Scotland’s Children (Dish) survey found that most children exceed maximum recommendations for energy density and free sugars and that their diets often do not have enough fibre and other essential nutrients.

It also highlighted health inequalities and found that those living in the most deprived areas generally had less healthy diets than those in the least deprived parts of the country, with lower intakes of fibre, fruit and vegetables.

The survey of 1700 participants aged 2-15 across Scotland was carried out in 2024 by the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh and Taylor McKenzie Research and Marketing on behalf of Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

A key question now is how many ‘wake up calls’ do we need before we start to seriously address this

It found that young people aged 11-15 tended to have less healthy diets than children aged 2-10 years.

Those in the older age group had diets with higher energy density, a greater percentage of calories from free sugars, lower fibre intake, and fewer portions of fruit and vegetables.

Researchers also found that food insecurity had an impact on many families, with 22% of parents/guardians overall reporting that they were worried about running out of food and rates much higher in the most deprived areas.

Heather Kelman, chairwoman of FSS, said: “The findings from this report are extremely concerning, yet sadly not surprising. They serve as yet another reminder of our nation’s poor diet, with the very real consequences being felt now.

“A key question now is how many wake-up calls do we need before we start to seriously address this and take immediate action to improve our food environment and make it easier for families to access affordable, healthy food.

“Foods and drinks high in fats, sugar and salt account for an unhealthy amount of our children’s diets.

“Urgent action is needed by industry and government to shift the dial if we are to make real progress towards the Scottish Government’s ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030.

“Without this, we risk jeopardising the health of future generations growing up in Scotland.”

The research found that overall only 8% of children meet the recommended Scottish Dietary Goal for free sugars: those sugars added to food and drinks, and those contained within honey, syrup, and fruit juice.

The goal is that the average intake of free sugars should not exceed 5% of total energy in adults and children aged over two years.

Researchers found that children and young people living in the least deprived areas had significantly higher fruit and vegetable consumption compared to those living in the most deprived areas (305g per day versus 229g per day).

Professor Lindsay Jaacks, from the University of Edinburgh, said: “Findings suggest that younger children are generally consuming enough essential vitamins and minerals, but too much sugar and salt.

“Adolescents, on the other hand, are not generally consuming enough of some key vitamins and minerals like iron, and get about a fifth of their calories from discretionary foods like soft drinks and confectionery.”

The research found that most children and young people achieved the Scottish Dietary Goals for total fat, trans fat and total carbohydrate.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Food insecurity is driven by insufficient and insecure household income which is why the 2025-26 draft budget continues to allocate over £3 billion a year to policies, including the Scottish Child Payment, which tackle poverty and the cost of living.

“Because we recognise the pressures on household budgets, we continue to call on the UK Government to deliver an essentials guarantee, which the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimate could lift 140,000 people in Scotland out of poverty this year.”

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