Parents may feel that they have little or no control over the foods their children choose when they're away from home. They do, however, have more control over foods that are offered at home, said Mary Higgins, K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist.
Parents determine the food budget.
They also have something to say about items that are placed in the grocery cart. Parents also can have their children use part of their allowance to buy snack foods they are requesting. They may have to raise their allowance a little, but there can be value in letting each child decide if they want to spend their allowance on a bag of chips that will be eaten quickly or save it for something that might be more long lasting, like a school or 4-H trip or new bike. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.