A healthy diet is very important at all ages, but particularly during childhood. Yet what we know so far about our children’s diet is deeply concerning, with around 15% of school-age children in Switzerland overweight or obese. So how do we set kids up with the healthiest start in life? Julia Vincentini works at Unisanté on menuCH-Kids, the first national survey in Switzerland to collect data about children’s eating habits. She tells us more.

Julia, how important is it that children eat a healthy diet?

It’s incredibly important. In the short term, it can affect children’s cardiovascular health, cholesterol levels and liver function. More and more kids are also developingobesity at an early age. All of this can accelerate or delay the onset of puberty and affect cognitive development, which in turn affects how well they do at school. In short, nutrition has a huge impact on children’s health and well-being.

What about in the long term? Do the eating habits formed in childhood have an impact on our health as adults?

Absolutely. An adult who ate an unhealthy diet as a child is at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. And it makes sense: the dietary habits you form as a child become deeply embedded. It takes a huge effort to change these as an adult. Sadly, many people never do. It’s possible to change your habits at any age, but it stands you in good stead to form good habits when you’re young.

Of course, nutrition is part of a bigger picture where physical exercise, genetics, sleep quality and mental health all play a role. All of these need to be considered.

What do we know about children’s eating habits?

In Switzerland, data in this area is limited – menuCH-Kids is the first study of its kind. But lots of other European countries have done similar studies over the past few years, so we can learn from them.

What these other countries have found is that the diet of most children and teenagers is far from ideal. They don’t eat enough vegetables, which can result in vitamin deficiencies. On the other hand, they eat too much meat and sugar. They also have unhealthy habits, like skipping breakfast or snacking a lot. And overall, children – like many adults – ingest too many calories and saturated fatty acids. Their intake of ultra-processed foods and sugar is also too high, which has a detrimental impact on metabolism and health.

Building on this data from neighbouring countries, we’re trying to learn more aboutwhat’s specifically happening here in Switzerland. This is why the study menuCH-Kids, which collects data about the dietary habits and health of children in Switzerland, is so important.

How can we make sure children get into healthy eating habits?

Parents have a role to play, of course, but we also need to empower children to make the right choices. For instance, teenagers aren’t eating at home all the time. They have the freedom to buy food when they’re out – and their choices are heavily influenced by their peers, even if their parents have attempted to instil good habits. So we need to give them the information and tools to make healthy choices – and not influence each other to choose unhealthy foods.

Whose responsibility should it be that children eat well?

It’s partly the responsibility of parents and children themselves to make healthy choices. But this is difficult in a world where it’s increasingly difficult to choose a healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t help that our supermarket aisles are full of unhealthy foods – and that marketing for these products is designed to appeal to children.

Switzerland tends to take a laissez-faire attitude to packaging and advertising, compared with other countries that enforce stricter rules. In my view, children’s health should be a public health responsibility when it comes to informing and educating, but also when it comes to creating an environment that encourages healthier choices.

Of course, there are several government campaigns geared towards improving children’s diets. One of these is a programme called PAPAE that takes place in schools in Vaud to educate children and parents about diet and the importance of exercise. Another that is present in school canteens and nurseries is called Fourchette verte; it involves giving children healthy food that is also environmentally friendly. Although all of this is a starting point, much more needs to be done.

Any public health initiatives you’re particularly keen to see?

Nutrition is closely related to the environment. One-third of the impact we have on our planet comes from our food system. This is huge. Even if we focus only on our own, and not our planet’s, health – which I don’t advocate we do – there’s a clear need to care for our environment. Think of pollution, heatwaves, water and soil contamination. This all leads to heavy metals, microplastics, pesticides and endocrine disruptors (chemicals that interfere with hormones) making their way into the food we eat. What affects our planet, affects our own health.

A public health priority should be to roll out policies that protect the environment while promoting health. For instance, governments should be encouraging people to eat seasonal and local foods. Eating tomatoes or mangoes all year round is not normal, or at least it shouldn’t be. We need to eat locally as much as possible to limit our environmental impact.

We also need to shift to eating more plant-based foods. I’m not saying we need to completely cut out meat, but we shouldn’t be eating it every day. Animal products produce more greenhouse gas emissions than any other foods, and their impact on health can also be negative – for instance, processed meat is associated with cardiovascular disease. It’s perfectly possible to eat a diet that’s both healthy and environmentally friendly.

Any last thought you’d like to leave us with when it comes to children’s health?

Perhaps that I’d love to see more of a dialogue between the government and the food industry when it comes to nutrition. A dialogue that constantly asks, ‘What can we be doing better?’ More strict regulations towards the food industry are likely needed to provide a healthier environment. I strongly feel more can be done and that this would benefit all of us, and especially children – setting them up for the healthiest possible future.