'21st-century breakfast' of sweets and crisps means trouble in class

SWEET-TOOTHED children are spending £413 million a year on chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks on their way to school in the mornings, according to a survey of family eating patterns.

The trend - dubbed the "21st-century breakfast" - is creating tension in the classroom, leaving children disruptive and unable to concentrate, a leading nutritionist warned last night.

The survey of families in the UK found about 1.3 million primary school children were spending, on average, 1.52 every day on treats.

Only one in 100 children bought a piece of fruit while one in six admitted skipping breakfast and eating sweets instead.

The study also revealed two million parents were concerned about the state of their children's current health.

But a number of parents admitted giving their children the money despite knowing what it would be spent on.

A third of parents across the UK owned up to providing the pocket money for treats - the figure in Scotland was slightly lower at 27 per cent.

A spokeswoman for Kellogg's, which commissioned the study, said: "No-one is saying there isn't a place for treats in a balanced diet but not having a sensible breakfast can mean that the intake of essential nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals is significantly reduced.

"Our research shows that people that skip a balanced breakfast tend to eat almost 21 per cent fewer fruit and vegetables; 8 per cent more meat products; 4 per cent fewer dairy products and a staggering 25 per cent more higher fat and sugar products than their breakfast eating counterparts."

Professor Brian Ratcliffe, an expert in nutrition at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, warned of the educational consequences of children not being given a proper breakfast.

"If children don't have a breakfast to provide an energy boost they find it harder to concentrate with the result they become distracted and distracting to others in the classroom.

"Most of the evidence suggests that breakfast is very important regarding children's appetites throughout the day. If they don't eat something substantial they will 'graze', leading to an increase in obesity and tetchiness from the high sugar peak from sweets."

Ronnie Smith, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said: "It is generally accepted that bad diet may be contributing to bad behaviour.

"Restricting youngsters' access to sweets is part of the solution, as is educating their palate. But policing youngsters to keep them away from their source is extremely difficult."

JELLY BABIES TOP SWEET

JELLY babies have been voted the nation's favourite nostalgic sweet, according to a new poll.

Originally known as "peace babies", they were launched by George Bassett in 1918 to celebrate the end of the First World War.

A shortage of raw materials stopped production during the Second World War but it resumed in 1953, when the sweets became known as jelly babies.

Each jelly baby has a name, colour and flavour: Brilliant (red, strawberry); Bubbles (yellow, lemon); Baby Bonny (pink, raspberry); Boofuls (green, lime); Bigheart (purple, blackcurrant) and Bumper (orange, orange). More than a billion are made each year.

The poll of 1,000 adults - commissioned by the confectioner Taveners - revealed that chocolate eclairs are our second favourite sweet, followed by fruit pastilles.

Wine gums, chocolate limes, American hard gums, flying saucers, sherbet lemons, aniseed balls and toffees also featured in the top-ten list.