We are living in an era where many think it is impossible to get children to eat anything healthy. At times parents may be choosing the easy way out and opting for foods which children take to immediately and these may not include the healthier options. They are not helped by restaurants either as these offer children's menus which present us with a limited choice of food, ranging from chicken nuggets and chips to hamburgers, fried sausages and similar foods all of which are high in fats and unhealthy. Party food is similar. So what did children eat a few years ago when nuggets did not exist? Where have the home-made sandwiches and rabbit-shaped blancmanges gone to? Have we lost hope in what children can eat and instead opt for the easy ready made food, whilst getting children used to the fried food and/or sweet palate from early on. Research has shown that food habits are acquired at as young an age as 5. At ages 5 - 7 children are at a stage where they are most receptive to acquiring food habits, so it is at this vulnerable age that children should be lured into healthy lifestyle habits of healthy food and physical activity.

A recent survey has shown us that Maltese children are the most obese in the world. I find this claim unfair as children have to date not been weighed or measured. This is just a projection from figures which are over 10 years old. We can only get a realistic picture when children will be weighed and measured at particular intervals, the simplest being on entry into compulsory schooling at the age of 5 and then at specific intervals. However, although this projected statistic incorrectly places Malta at the top of the list, we still have a large amount of obese children and this is now a concern which should be tackled through campaigns, national projects and school or community activities.

The whole Maltese population must realise that all stakeholders must contribute to minimising this problem. This would include restaurants, tuck shops, fast food places, the media, schools and school food policies, the Health and Education Ministries and most of all parents. On one hand parents have probably become more conscious these days on food and health but there is also a lot of misinformation and bad practice. Children need to be taught the right attitudes and behaviours towards food from an early age. One cannot say that the children will learn to eat the right type of food when they grow up. It is very difficult to change habits later on in life. The result is that as children grow older they are becoming more obese and this is then very difficult to reverse.