Parents spend more than £300 a year on junk food treats per child

Nov. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- A poll by the UK’s leading discount and voucher code website asked 1,124 parents across the UK how often they buy their children junk food treats and how much money they spend each time they buy them.



When asked by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk ‘How often do you buy your child treats, such as sweets, chocolate, savoury snacks and cakes?’ the poll found that, on average, a parent does so 4 times a week.



The poll also asked respondents to specify how much they spent on junk food treats per child throughout the week. According to the results, the average amount spent by each parent is £6 per week, meaning that £312 a year is spent on ‘junk food’ for every child, on average.



Almost 1 in 10, 8%, of the parents asked admitted that they buy their children ‘treats’ everyday; however, in contrast, 4% of the respondents cited that they ‘never’ buy their children junk food treats.



According to the poll, the most common reason for parents to give their children treats is to ‘stop them misbehaving,’ with more than 1 in 3, 34%, agreeing. A further 27% claimed they give their children treats simply because their child asks for them.



14% of the parents asked give their children treats out of ‘guilt’ and 61% treat their children with junk food in reward for ‘good behaviour’. 21% of the parents who took part in the poll admitted to giving their children a ‘treat,’ like chocolate and sweets, as a form of bribery.



Andy Cole, parenting expert at MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said the following about the findings;



“When you see the figure in black and white, it really does bring home how much parents spend on unhealthy treats for their children. I was shocked to see that some parents bribe their children with sweets; it really isn't wise to get into the habit of doing that, as children will get used to it and expect treats all the time."



He continued,



“Children can be expensive at the best of times, especially when you consider all those extra treats parents buy for good behaviour or out of guilt. Sites such as MyVoucherCodes.co.uk offer great discounts on products such as children’s clothing, toys and kids furniture, so it's always worth a look before making a purchase.”



LINK http://www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk



***ENDS***



Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes is a regular media contributor regarding online shopping and the credit crunch. At 30, his personal worth is more than £30 million. Mark was previously a trainee chef working for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, London.



Mark appeared as a ‘Secret Millionaire’ in the series on Channel 4, in which he donated £115,00 of his own money to worthy causes.



MyVoucherCodes has had sales exceeding £481m in the last year



Consumer savings on online shopping via MyVoucherCodes.co.uk up from £28m in 2008 to £52m in 2009.



MyVoucherCodes is the UK’s most popular discount site.