Milan, June 24 (LaPresse) – In Italy, more than half of children consume sweet snacks more than three times a week, while more than one in ten regularly eat salty snacks and one in four drink sugary beverages daily. Fruits and vegetables are missing from the daily diet of a quarter of children, and breakfast is increasingly disappearing from their routines: 10.9% skip it altogether and one in three do not consume it properly.
These are the findings of the new report “Food and Children”, presented today by the Aletheia Foundation, which analyzes the eating habits of the new generations in Italy and around the world. The report highlights the growing risks associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are becoming more prevalent in young people’s diets.
The global market for ultra-processed foods has exceeded 2 trillion dollars. In Europe, these products account for an average of 27% of daily caloric intake. In Italy, the share is 13.4%, but rising—especially among children and adolescents.