October 10/Wellington, New Zealand/Massey University -- According to a new survey, four out of five Generation Z youths -- those born from 1990 -- do not use any fresh ingredients in their daily evening meals, and 39% are unable to correctly identify staple veggies such as leek or zucchini.
The new Weight Watchers survey of 1,000 people, studying Kiwis' eating attitudes and food knowledge, has been released as part of an initiative aimed at tackling obesity.
It found New Zealanders were largely sedentary, have lost touch with the importance of savoring mealtimes, and younger generations’ cooking skills were at risk.
Dr. Janet Weber, from Massey University's Food Nutrition and Human Health, said there was"definitely'' an obesity problem in New Zealand, as only one in three adults are at a normal or healthy weight.
She said young people go through a period of time where food is not a focus, and it could potentially lead to a problem.
"Some young people will use frozen vegetables a lot because it's convenient, and in terms of nutrition that is actually fine.”
Weber said the real issue starts when people start eating too much unhealthy processed foods.