Legoland has received a negative review following the examination of the food it sells for children by researchers. The theme park was ranked second-to-last in a league table. This league table ranks attractions based on the nutritional quality of the food and drink they offer.
The research was conducted by the Soil Association, a charity that promoted healthy and nutritional eating. It sent undercover diner parents to 22 of Britain’s top attraction and found that adult meals were often heathier than child meals.
Coming first in the rankings was Edinburgh’s Royal Botanical Garden. It offers children a wide range of organic options grown in its own garden as well as locally sourced ingredients. Legoland was ranked second to last.
Soil Association’s campaign manager, Rob Percival, has commented:
“It’s unacceptable that popular attractions are denying children healthy choices.”
“The attractions at the top of the league table are showing that healthy and high-quality food can be fun and affordable. The attractions at the bottom are not giving families the opportunity to enjoy a balanced meal.”
“Some of the food on offer is simply junk. Legoland should be renamed ‘Deep Fried Crap Land’.”
Legoland currently offers an all-inclusive entry ticket that provides children with bottomless fizzy drinks and lunch at one of the park’s restaurants.
All of its food outlets offer burgers, fried chicken and chips. None provide children with nutritional vegetables, despite appearing on the adult menu.
Legoland has responded to the survey. It told Sky News:
“We recognise the importance of offering healthy eating options, along with the fun treats that you would expect to enjoy during a visit to a theme park.”
“We are committed to providing healthy options for our guests and when we reopen for our 2019 season, we will be enhancing our children’s meals with a vegetable or salad option in each restaurant.”
Earlier in October, Legoland’s operator, Merlin Entertainments, suffered a sell-off after a disappointing summer. This is as a result of Legoland’s like-for-like sales falling short of expectations over the summer period.
At 09:35 BST today, shares in Merlin Entertainments PLC (LON:MERL) were trading at -1.75%.
