The celebrity chef told Netmums’ Sweat, Snot & Tears podcast there’s no such thing as a ‘fussy eater’ – and says lazy parents allow it. Ouch!

Gino D’Acampo has said there’s no such thing as ‘fussy eaters’ – blaming mums and dads for allowing it – and parents are NOT happy.

 

Speaking on the latest episode of Netmums’ podcast, Sweat, Snot and Tears, the celebrity chef even labelled parents who ‘allow’ their children to be fussy over food as ‘idiots’ and ‘morons.’

The TV star said he doesn’t believe there is such a thing as being a ‘fussy’ eater and said children can be prevented from getting bad eating habits by being made to eat what’s on their plate – and sent to bed hungry.

‘When people talk to me about fussy children with food and ask me, “What do I think?” I tell them there is no such a thing as a fussy child. There isn’t,’ he told podcast hosts, Annie and Wendy.

‘But there is a thing of moron parenting. By moron, I mean idiots. A child doesn’t grow up fussy, it’s not possible. It’s the parents.’

The Family Fortunes host and This Morning chef said he doesn’t think some parents can be bothered to ‘fight’ with their child so they let them get away with not eating the food they say they don’t like, which creates a fussy eater.

He said that his youngest child Mia, 9, will get sent to bed if she doesn’t eat her tea but when she wakes up she can expect to have last night’s meal for breakfast.

Gino said if a child isn’t eating what’s in front of them, they shouldn’t be given an alternative. He said this method encourages his children to eat their dinner the first time they’re given it.

But parents of children who are fussy eaters are furious with his remarks.

One said:

‘This ticks me off no end. Not every child is a fussy eater, some have issues with texture, over sensitive tastebuds, issues with speech so they can’t communicate why they don’t like the food they’ve been given.’

Another said:

‘Maybe he should do some research before branding all parents morons.

‘Some children have eating disorders which restrict what they can or will eat. ARFID is a recognised eating disorder which means a child avoids and restricts a lot of foods most other children would normally eat.’

A third added:

‘Did you really say this about fussy eaters?

‘You have no idea and shouldn’t generalise on things you no nothing about. I’d challenge you to feed my child.’

However there were parents who agreed with Gino.

One said:

‘I agree with him in general. When I grew up, you ate what was cooked or you didn’t eat.’

Another added:

‘He’s correct. Just says it as it is. Need more like Gino.’

The star even went on to liken children to getting a puppy as he said:

‘I’m not comparing a dog to a child, for God’s sake, but it’s the same as a when you have a little puppy.

‘You only have to tell him off and pretend to smack him a couple of times not to do the wee on the floor. Eventually, he’s not going to do the wee on the floor, he’s going to go outside.’

Is your child a fussy eater or are you a parent who doesn’t allow it, like Gino? Let us know about your experience in our chat thread below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Sweat, Snot & Tears, our award-nominated podcast to hear Gino and many more celebs chat about all kinds of things!