The dietary intake of children in the United Kingdom and other minority world countries is an area that is causing increasing concern. These concerns are often expressed around the high levels of childhood obesity and the early onset of dental caries. In this review of the literature, I examine a range of approaches to the study of food and eating, with particular reference to children and sweet eating. I conclude that while each approach makes an important contribution to the subject, researchers and practitioners tasked with health promotion need to look at sweet eating behaviours in terms of the wider cultural context, including children's popular culture. It is only then that they will fully appreciate the role that sweets play in the lives of many young children and their families.