 | Fruit and vegetable intakes in children are well below recommended
levels |
| Fruit consumption in school going children has nearly halved since
1998 |
| Vegetable consumption has also declined since 1998 |
| Only 36% of school girls and 29% of school boys eat more than one
portion of fruit daily |
| Only 43% of school girls and 37% of school boys eat more than one
portion of vegetables daily |
| Forty percent of children exceed the recommended daily allowance
(RDA) of fat |
| Irish adults consume 10 grams of salt per day, this is over fifty
percent higher than the national target of 6g per day and more than double
the RDA of 4g. (FSAI) |
| Processed meats and bread are the main sources of dietary salt,
contributing more than 50% of the daily salt intake in adults (FSAI) |
| Thirty-five percent of the population die from heart disease |
| Twenty-five percent die from cancer |
| Thirty-nine percent of Irish adults are overweight and 18 percent are
obese |
| Levels of overweight and obese children in Ireland are higher than the
European average. |
| Twenty-two percent of 5 - 12 year olds are now overweight or obese |
| An obese child is more likely to be an obese adult |
| One fifth of Irish children’s energy intake from food comes from
sweets, snacks and biscuits |
| On average Irish children are consuming 2 glasses of soft drinks per
day |
| 51% of Irish children consume sweets, 37% drink fizzy drinks, 27%
consume crisps, 12% eat chips and 7% eat hamburgers at least once a day |
| Significant numbers of children have inadequate intakes of calcium,
iron, vitamins A, C, D, and folate |
| Levels of milk consumption are low with children consuming only half a
pint per day on average |
| The majority of younger post-primary school students stay in school
during lunchtime and are reliant on the food choices provided for them in
that environment |
| Healthy food choices are not supported in our post-primary schools
|
| Fast foods or convenience foods are the most common options in school
canteens |
| Sugar-sweetened fizzy drinks are available in 76% of canteens, 81% of
tuckshops and 88% of vending machines |
| Chocolate is by far the most common snack available |
