BLEND: Smart Blending Options for Children’s Health and Nutrition

Other investigators

To be announced.

Description

Provision of smoothies to children has been identified as a key feeding strategy to increase fruit and vegetable intake. However, concerns have been raised about the sugar content of ready-to-buy smoothies marketed to children. The development of smoothie bases suitable for food industry usage that also contribute to health goals for children is imperative. The primary aim of this project is to establish acceptability of smoothie bases that offer a viable alternative to the apple juice base that is currently the food industry norm, to promote a positive change in children’s health. We will use our recently developed visual focus group methodology (optimised for use with food) to explore facilitators and barriers to healthy smoothie consumption in school children. This will then inform an experimental study testing children’s perception and acceptability of smoothies (with actual consumption) varying in their base and delivery method. Collectively this work will contribute early insight to a broader innovation journey that considers opportunities to enhance bases through optimisation of ingredients and fortification for functionality and health benefit.

Project keywords

(1) Smoothie-bases (2) Visual focus groups (3) Schools (4) Acceptability

Outputs

To be announced.

Email contact

L.L.Wilkinson@swansea.ac.uk