New research from apetito, in collaboration with Sophie's Legacy, has gathered insights from children, parents, front-line healthcare staff and decision-makers to examine the current state of children's hospital food, revealing significant opportunities to better meet the needs of young patients and their families.

The report, Shared Challenges, Shared Ambition: Shaping The Future of Paediatric Catering, explores how food shapes children's experiences in hospital and identifies the priorities that matter most to those experiencing and delivering services.

Findings show notable room for improvement in current provision, with 74% of parents surveyed reporting dissatisfaction with their child's hospital meal options. However, the research also reveals strong agreement across children, parents and healthcare professionals on the changes needed, providing a clear roadmap for the future of paediatric catering.

89% of children said they would like more choice in what they are offered, while 95% of healthcare decision-makers rated catering designed around children's needs as a high or very high priority. Parents consistently prioritised food their children will enjoy, with 57% saying this is their top consideration during a hospital stay.

The report underlines the important relationship between mealtime experience and food intake, recognising that children can only benefit from the nutritional value of a meal if they're willing to eat it. As a result, improvements to meal presentation and the wider dining environment emerged as key opportunities to increase engagement at mealtimes and encourage greater food intake during a child's hospital stay.

Commenting on the findings, Charlotte Fairall, CEO of Sophie's Legacy, a charity campaigning to improve children's healthcare experiences, said:

"For years we've been campaigning to ensure children's voices are heard when it comes to hospital food and care, so it's incredibly encouraging to see such strong agreement across the sector on what needs to happen next. This research shows that food is about much more than nutrition alone. It's about comfort, choice, dignity and helping children feel more like themselves during a hospital stay.

"What's particularly encouraging is that we're no longer having to convince people that change is needed. Children, families and healthcare teams largely agree on the challenges and, importantly, the solutions too. That's a really powerful place for the sector to be and gives us a genuine opportunity to create lasting improvement for children in hospital."

Neil Hargreaves, General Manager of Healthcare at apetito, added:

"One of the clearest messages from this research is that children don't eat in the same way adults do, particularly when they're unwell. Familiarity, choice and confidence in what they're being offered all influence whether food is eaten or left behind.

“For healthcare providers, that's an important consideration. Good nutrition only delivers its full value when children are willing and able to eat what's put in front of them.

“The insights from this research have helped shape our first dedicated paediatrics range, designed specifically around the needs and preferences of young patients. We're committed to helping make a real difference to children's hospital experiences and hope this report supports wider conversations about how children's food services can continue to evolve across the healthcare sector."

To download the brand-new research report from apetito and Sophie's Legacy, click here.