Table Talk Foundation- 1 in 7 children in Brighton and Hove are obese

How can there be such a high level of obesity in one of the most affluent areas in the country? We believe the answer is a lack in food education.

15% of year 6 pupils were classed as obese in Brighton and Hove in 2019-20 according to NHS data. Obesity in childhood often leads to wider health issues later in life costing the NHS over £6billion each year to treat.

There is a clear link between poverty and obesity with families living in the poorest areas often choosing cheap fast food and ready meals to feed their families due to budget and time constraints. We all know the issues that come with this type of food- high levels of salt, sugar, additives, and fat.

Public Health England have acknowledged that rising rates of obesity in deprived areas is being offset by progress in more affluent areas. 

Table Talk Foundation is a new Sussex based charity which is aiming to break this cycle by providing fun and interactive food education classes to primary schools in the county.

Daniel Wade, co-founder of Table Talk Foundation says “children are a blank canvas and getting them inspired by food at an early age can inspire them and lead to better food choices as they grow up.

The movement over the past two decades towards ready meals and fast food is dangerous for health and the data clearly shows this. We fully understand time and budget constraints but with a little bit of knowledge and effort, you can feed your family better quality food at a lower cost. The key here is providing the knowledge and confidence, and this is something we will try to provide.

We just want to get children in the kitchen, having fun whilst they cook and hopefully the parents spot this enthusiasm and nurture this at home. Many of us have fond memories as children cooking with parents or grandma and getting to lick the spoon as a treat but this quality time is something that is dying out and we want to bring this back!”

To find out more about Table Talk Foundation, please visit www.tabletalk-foundation.com.