Local dad solves battle of the broccoli

As father of two, Findlay Guerin explained, “My daughter’s eating was a worry and with regular visits from a NHS Health Visitor a thing of the past, and the internet awash with conflicting information, accurate professional advice seemed as scarce as the vegetables on her plate. I decided there was a real need for a fresh approach.”

During the 2020 lockdown, he put together a team including his friend and co-founder, Tom, leading NHS Dietetic, Lucy and Feeding Psychology expert Hazel to work out how technology could provide the scientifically backed answer so many millions of stressed out parents were looking for .... at the touch of a button.

Three years later, Sprout has recently launched to impressive reviews, with over 2,000 parents already interacting with the Apps unique technology.

As one user, mum Sarah explained, “James’ fussy eating is something I had been thinking about pretty much every day, he doesn't really eat protein or fruit and veg and is resistant to any change. He’ll do anything to try a new food. I tried star charts, cooking with him et cetera. I'm trying not to turn it into a fight. I then found Sprout which really helped me understand his eating better."

Head of Dietetics, Lucy explained why she was keen to join the project, “I knew from my own work that there are many thousands of parents struggling like Sarah. There was a real need for easily accessible accurate advice, tailored to the individual parent and child and backed by science. It’s great to see how all our hard work on Sprout is already paying off.”

The App works by taking parents through a detailed questionnaire which reveals potential psychological and behavioural barriers to a child's eating patterns. It doesn't offer recipes and meal plans but instead suggests strategies which when put into practice will have a positive, long term impact on the whole family's relationship with food.

And the market for their business is growing - a study by Mortar Research in 2023, on behalf of Gousto, found that nearly nine in ten (87%) of parents cater for fussy eaters every day and a survey by child nutrition guru, Annabel Karmel found that 94% of parents admit to feeling stressed on a daily basis because of fussy eating.

For more details on Sprout go to eatwithsprout.com