Published on 22/05/2025
CRACKING UNDER PRESSURE : A FRAGILE GENERATION AT RISK FROM POOR BONE HEALTH
London, 22nd May: A silent health threat is emerging – and it is targeting our children. Across the UK, our kids are quite literally cracking under pressure, with weakening bones, declining physical strength, and a concerning rise in conditions like rickets.
Despite 90% of parents claiming to understand what their children need to eat, new research from Yoplait – the makers of Petits Filous and Frubes – reveals that over half (58%) still worry they’re not providing enough essential nutrients. And it is calcium and vitamin D that are taking the biggest hit – the building blocks of healthy bones and bodies.
A survey of 2,000 UK parents (with children aged 4 to 10) highlights widespread confusion, with 28% unsure about sugar content in food, 25% unclear about what counts as a ‘balanced diet’, and 24% struggle to spot signs of nutrient deficiencies. On top of that, a third (34%) blame unclear food labels and nearly three in ten say they simply don’t have access to the expert advice they need.
With calcium intake falling sharply over the past decade, and almost 20% of 4–10-year-olds now deficient in vitamin D each spring, their long-term bone health is under serious threat. Yet many parents mistakenly assume this is a problem for later life, missing the opportunity to strengthen bones while they’re still developing.
Yoplait has teamed up with bestselling children’s author and dad-of-three Tom Fletcher to launch a national campaign tackling the hidden crisis of childhood calcium and vitamin D deficiency – starting with a bold reimagining of nursery rhyme icon Humpty Dumpty. Once a symbol of fragility, Humpty is now reborn to bounce back stronger, highlighting the importance of calcium and vitamin D to build healthy bones from an early age.
1NHS Data, July 2024, https://www.onlymyhealth.com/rickets-cases-up-by-380-times-in-united-kingdom-how-low-vitamin-d-may-be-the-cause-1721937145 / https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20240502112909/https://digital.nhs.uk/supplementary-information/2023/hospital-admissions-with-a-diagnosis-of-rickets-and-vitamin-deficiency
2 Fortifying foods and drinks with vitamin D: main report – GOV.UK
3 UK Gov 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-review-launched-into-vitamin-d-intake-to-help-tackle-health-disparities
4 The Food Foundation, July 2024 https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-06/TFF_Children%27s%20Health%20Report.pdf
5 From birth to 18 years of age