Food waste in toddlers and children can be a source of parental frustration and often the primary motivation for parents to pressure their children to 'finish their plate'. I get it! We spend finite resources on procuring valuable food items and meticulously preparing meals, only to be met with food left at the end.
So, how do we address food waste if you are considering reducing parental control or pressure around how much your children eat? Let's take a moment to reframe how we perceive food leftover on a child's plate.
In this blog, I will share three reasons we might want to reconsider our stance on food waste in our little ones and then end with practical strategies to reduce household food waste.
1. Think of food waste like paper waste in little ones learning to write and draw.
Consider the parallels between food waste and the inevitable paper waste accompanying a child's learning to draw and write. Before they master the art of crafting letters with precision, there will be numerous discarded drafts. We don't view these crumpled papers as an environmental crisis that must be eradicated but as essential steps toward honing a valuable skill.
It is common for children between the ages of two and six to go through a stage of food rejection as a part of their development. Children's appetite varies significantly from meal to meal, yet most are naturally good at self-regulation. For children to develop a positive relationship with food and their bodies, they must explore different foods, figure out their preferences, build interoception skills, and sometimes get it wrong.
Just like we don't expect every drawing or letter formation of a child to be a masterpiece, and we don't require them to use every corner of every piece of paper, we can approach uneaten food with the same understanding and patience, seeing it as a part of the learning process.
To be clear, the goal of responsive feeding is not to have a child always leave food on their plate. The goal is instead to trust our child's body autonomy and intrinsic motivation more than external, often inaccurate measures of what "good" or "appropriate" eating looks like.
2. Pressure to eat may make food waste worse in the long run.
Pressuring a child to finish their plate may inadvertently contribute to developing picky eating habits. When children feel coerced into consuming every last bite, it can create a negative association with certain foods. Over time, this pressure may lead to aversions, making the child more resistant to trying new foods or expanding their palate.
Imagine a child being forced to finish a plate of vegetables they find unappealing. In an attempt to comply, they may begrudgingly consume the undesired vegetables, associating them with discomfort and pressure. As a result, the child may be reluctant to try similar foods in the future, contributing to a cycle of picky eating.
In the long run, this approach can lead to more significant food waste as parents discard uneaten portions of foods that the child now refuses to eat. By fostering a positive and explorative attitude toward food, we can minimise the risk of picky eating and reduce food waste in the long run.
3. Leftover Food on a Little One's Plate is Not the Biggest Culprit of Food Waste.
Sure, some days, the untouched broccoli and abandoned sandwiches can feel like an environmental crisis, and yes, we should all do our part in reducing food waste. Still, in the grand scheme, food waste produced by young children not finishing their plates is a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Unfortunately, much of the reported food waste happens on a larger scale before the food even reaches your child's plate.
Food retail, supermarkets, and manufacturing establishments are the most significant contributors to food waste globally. Only around half of the food wasted in Singapore is from households, and according to a recent survey, most of the food wasted in households is from expired food. According to Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA), about half of the food waste could have been prevented if people were more mindful of how much food they bought, ordered or cooked.
As adults, there are many things we can do to reduce food waste while also allowing children to develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. In my opinion, it doesn’t feel fair to burden developing children with the problem of food waste when it is not their fault.
NOTE: If you are experiencing food insecurity and struggling to consistently get enough of the foods you want to serve your family, I am sorry you are dealing with this burden. Food insecurity is traumatic and a major social justice issue in our world. This New York Times article provides some tips into how food-insecure households stretch their meals.
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