A new report released by the British Heart Foundation has revealed that UK kids are eating their five-a-day. However, the five items of food eaten each day don’t include fruit and vegetables, but more alarmingly, crisps, fizzy drinks, chocolate, sweets and pastries-before school starts!

The survey questioned 2000 children aged between 11 and 16 years old, about their eating habits. Shockingly, 10 percent of the children have eaten junk food before their school day has even begun. Although a third of all children in the UK are either obese or overweight, huge amounts of sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks are consumed on a daily basis. As children of today are consuming large amounts of unhealthy foods, known to be a factor of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, experts fear that today’s generation may not live as long as their parents.

The survey reveals that only a third of children took responsibility for their eating habits, with most of the kids placing the responsibility for a healthy diet on their parents. Almost a third of kids eat sugary foods at least three times each day, with snacks making up a third of their daily calorie allowance.

The British Heart Foundation is to launch Food4Thought, a campaign which will encourage healthier eating at school. Vending machines which will contain healthy snacks, are to be placed in 30 schools around the UK as part of a pilot scheme. The pupils at each school will decide which foods are to be sold in the vending machines, and the healthiest will win a prize. The pilot, which aims to encourage healthy eating for kids, is being supported by Akai Osei, the street dancer aged just 12 years old who won Got To Dance in 2025.