FOUNDER OF CHILDREN’S FOOD COMPANY BACKS CLAIMS THAT FOOD CRAVINGS ARE LEARNT IN THE WOMB

LIZZIE Vann, founder of the organic children’s food company Organix, backed new research published in the British Journal of Nutrition that claims children’s eating habits are partially developed in the womb.  She said:- “We have long been aware from both academic research and anecdotal evidence that what mums like to eat is passed onto their babies both in the womb, and through breastmilk.  And it is not surprising that the kind of food additives generally found in a lot of today’s foods are being passed onto children in a way that programmes them to want more!”

Vann, founder of the Dorset-based company, was responding to research by the Royal Veterinary College, which found that when pregnant rats were fed a diet of biscuits, crisps and sweets, their babies ate more unhealthy food.  The researchers claimed the study showed the rats' behaviour was "programmed" in the womb.

Vann continued:- “There is evidence from the University of Dundee, for example, that mums who eat peas a lot during pregnancy give birth to a higher proportion of children who like peas later in life, than those that don’t.   And of course, we all like the foods we are brought up on – but this new evidence suggests that may be as much down to what our mothers eat during pregnancy as it is down to ‘family habits’.

Pregnancy and the early years are vital times for building the health of children. We recommend an organic diet for mums during pregnancy.  And then organic food for both them and their children after birth. Organic food is guaranteed not to contain the vast majority of toxins like pesticide residues and food additives, and is by far the safest way to feed your children.’

Professor Neil Stickland, who headed the rat research, said:- "The government is trying to encourage healthier eating habits in school, but this shows that we need to start during the foetal and suckling life.  Future mothers should be aware that pregnancy and lactation are not the time to over-indulge on fatty and sugary treats on the assumption that they are 'eating for 2'."

GOVT STALLING ON SOUTHPORT BILL SAVINGS

SOUTHPORT households could be missing out on electricity savings of up to £80 per year because of government delays.  Smart electricity meters allow customers to check at a glance how much energy they are using and how much it will cost. Turning off appliances that would otherwise be left to run is a simple yet effective way of dramatically cutting electricity bills.

2 years ago MEPs voted in favour of smart meters in a bid to give customers accurate and detailed bills along with information about the environmental impact of their energy use. A recent government announcement to begin trials in the UK has been criticised as a wasted effort by Southport MEP Chris Davies.  He said:- "Smart meters have been successfully used in other European countries to help people reduce their energy bills. There is no need for the government to carry out trials and instead we should be following the good practice of countries like Italy and getting on with it."

The Liberal Democrat Euro-MP claims the meters would also help to tackle consumer debt.  He said:- "A major cause of personal debt in this country is having a huge gas or electricity bill land on your door mat after months or even years of estimated bills, or no bills at all. 

Regular bills based on actual consumption will make a real difference to vulnerable consumers in helping them to save money by cutting their energy use and in stopping the widespread problem of serious debt from unexpectedly large fuel bills."

Average saving from the meters is estimated at around £60 to £80 on the bill of an average household and would save around 233kg of carbon dioxide emissions. This would equate to a national saving of almost £2 billion and 5.6 billion kg of CO2.

According to Energywatch  suppliers could benefit from smart meters as they could see major savings on their £1.2 billion annual expenditure on billing, call centres and customer transfers.