26-01-10, 09:40
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My Statement
STATEMENT
The most important people to me are the parents and their children. Parents are constantly facing the challenge of providing food for their children that is good for them and that they will eat. All the Eat Fussy meals meeet the government's nutritional requiremtents for children under the age of four. As a leading provider of foods to children under 5, Annabel Karmel Group Holdings Limited welcome the BBC Panorama investigation into child nutrition for the under-5’s shown on 25th January 2010 . The issues raised in the programme are important as many parents are confused about the dietary requirements for toddlers and pre-school children. However, the allegations made by the BBC programme regarding the nutritional elements of Eat Fussy Lasagne were misleading. The Lasagne does contain more fat and salt due to the cheese content which is a nutritious food providing much needed protein and calcium to children. However, this is just one meal in a range of eight, the majority of which are low in saturated fat and salt. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, “toddlers should be encouraged to consume milk and dairy products such as cheese as these are particularly good source of bio-available calcium, which is important for bone development, as well as providing a range of other nutrients. A diet which is low in fat and high in fibre may not supply enough energy for a young child.” The Lasagne also provides iron and the commonest nutritional deficiency in young children is iron deficiency. The 1g salt content in the main meal of 220g is not excessive and all the meals comply with government guidelines, this has been confirmed by four nutritionists and CASH (Consensus on Action on Salt and Health). As the meals are aimed at 1 to 4 year olds, it is also important to remember that we state on pack the meals are a generous portion for young toddlers and most would not eat the whole contents. The guidelines for 4 year olds are 3g per day. The portion we provide would feed a hungry four year old so 1g in a main meal is not too much at all. A one year old would manage about half a portion and we know that our parents divide the meals for younger children or split them between two children. Even if a toddler of one or two were to eat the entire meal this would still be OK for part of a balanced diet - for example if the baby had porridge and fruit for breakfast and something like chicken and rice for lunch (in fact our chicken and Rice meal contains 0.6 g of salt and 0.7 g of saturated fat per 220g. Detailed nutritional information is provided on pack for each Eat Fussy meal and on my web-site , giving parents the opportunity to make informed decisions on their child’s diet. It is perfectly possible for any of the Eat Fussy meals to be balanced with other items on any one day, still keeping within nutritional guidelines. Only 35% of mums cook from scratch* and Eat Fussy offers a good alternative. Eat Fussy is spearheading the quality of children’s meals whilst not compromising on taste and as a result has become the UK’s most popular range of branded ready meals for children. The Lasagne is just one in a range of meals of 8. Toddlers are notoriously fussy eaters and we are providing a solution for parents by developing meals that contain nutrients they need but also appeal to the child. There is little point in making a bland meal that children will not eat. If healthy alternatives are bland and children refuse to eat them frustrated parents may well turn to chicken nuggets, pizzas and pot noodles. Annabel has spent the last 20 years working on improving the quality of food for children and there must be a balance between nutrition and taste The range is constantly tested on consumers and we respond to feedback to alter recipes. As a result, we have recently decided to remove the small amount of free sugar from all our Eat Fussy meals over the next three months. The reason for adding sugar in the first place was to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes.. Salmon and Cod Fish Pie which is our most popular meal provides essential fatty acids which are often lacking in a child’s diet and the Lasagne provides iron and iron deficiency is the commonest nutritional deficiency in your children. The guidelines for children’s food are far more stringent than for adult food and we need to ensure we have low pesticide levels and the range is free from additives. This is why the ingredients we buy are relatively expensive. I have worked for over 20 years to improve the quality of food for children both through my books and the meals I produce which help parents provide good quality meals that children enjoy eating. Annabel Karmel • Source: Infant and Toddler Forum – Independent group of experts in Infant and Todderl Food (see www.littlepeoplesplates     
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26-01-10, 09:54
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well said
 i didn't watch panorama last night so didn't know they had spoken about an AK eat fussy meal, i've been using your recipes for almost 3yrs now and occassionally buy an eat fussy meal as a freezer back up (like if OH & me are having a takeaway) and i think very highly of all the recipes, meals & work you do, you have helped educate me when it comes to feeding LO's where as before i really hadn't a clue where to start or what they could/couldn't eat. I understand it is important for you to make this statement and would just like to say that i really wouldn't worry about that program and you do fantastic work, i know from watching a panorama about 'dangerous' dogs that the views can be very one-sided and not entirely researched as well as could have been. You are my food guru 
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26-01-10, 11:36
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didn't watch the programme as knew it was just out to scare & confuse mothers & make us feel quilty for using Ready Meals. Think there are more important issues that panorama could be focusing on in relation to babies & children (i.e poverty, physical abuse etc).
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26-01-10, 12:09
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Annabel Karmel's - Feeding your Baby & Toddler page 15:
Watch the Salt (last paragraph). Most food are labelled with grams of sodium per 100g. One gram of sodium is equivalent to 2.5g of salt, so anything with more than 0.5g sodium per 100g is too high in salt. Try to buy food with less than 0.2g of sodium per 100g. Salmon & Cod 0.4g (per meal) Cottage Pie 0.4g (per meal) Lasagne 0.4g (per meal) I still cannot fathom why you feel the need to sweeten the lasagne. You said on the Pananarama show that it was to neutralise the acid in the tomatoes, which seems a bizarre thing to do given that your recipes for Spaghetti Bolognese and the Beef Lasagne do not use sugar or fruit juice for this purpose. Last edited by SephiesMum : 27-01-10 at 13:06.
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26-01-10, 12:27
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I cook tomatoes for a long time as I think this mellows them. Maybe the sugar or fruit juice is a cheaper shortcut in mass production!?!?
I'm not justifying it btw, tho I have been known to pop a teaspoon of sugar in tomato sauce for experimentation purposes only  
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26-01-10, 14:29
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with adding a bit of sugar to tomato dishes. In fact it is widely practiced. I always have and always will add anything from a pinch to a teaspoon of sugar to anything I make with cooked tomatoes. I don't know whether it's an old wives tale or fact but I was taught that it enhanced the sweetness of them and helped to neutralise the acidity. You don't need bucket loads but a little does work wonders and I do notice the difference if I leave it out.
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26-01-10, 14:42
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Quote:
So funny, that's brilliant SM!!Oh and just to add (quietly) I also add some sugar to my HM tomato sauce to balance the balsamic vinegar and tomateos only 1 tsp to one massive pot though  )
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26-01-10, 14:42
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Quote:
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26-01-10, 21:15
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