A new five-year public health campaign to build a healthier food environment and protect children’s health has been launched today by the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Colm Burke, TD. The campaign from Safefood aims to raise awareness of the unhealthy food environment, how this is harmful to children’s health, and why it needs to change.
Food related ill-health is now the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world, with one-in-five children in Ireland living with either overweight or obesity. People today don’t have less willpower, different appetites, or different biology than previous generations - but today’s food environment encourages us to eat unhealthily at nearly every turn.
Launching the campaign Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for public health, wellbeing, and National Drugs Strategy, Colm Burke TD, said; “This new public health campaign aims to protect the health and wellbeing of children by firstly prompting us all to think and talk about our food environment. Overweight and obesity pose an increasing challenge in Ireland with three-in-five adults and more than one-in-five children and young people are overweight or living with obesity.
“Much has already been achieved in this area, including the introduction of a sugar tax, work on food reformulation and changing the food supply, reducing advertising of unhealthy food, and creating nutrition standards for education and healthcare. Now we must go further. This campaign recognises that all of us, especially young children, are being exposed to greater marketing and promotion of unhealthy food and beverages. By working together, we can build a more positive food environment that will support everyone to make healthier choices.”
What does the research say?
The food around us – what’s known as our ‘food environment’ - has radically changed from previous generations. This is illustrated by a broad range of research in this area; eight of the top ten selling food brands in Ireland are unhealthy foods and fizzy drinks; more than half of the foods on promotional offer in convenience stores are unhealthy; 63 per cent of pre-school children were able to match brand logos to product images of the top selling food products; and a recent mapping study for Dublin City Council showed that the high number of takeaways in disadvantaged areas surpassed the number of takeaways in more affluent areas.
At present, one in five children in Ireland are living with either overweight or obesity which puts them at much greater risk of diseases later in life including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many cancers. Children are also at risk of experiencing poor psychological and social effects during childhood due to weight stigmatisation.
What would a better food environment look like?
Dr Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition with Safefood, explained; “If we stop and look around at our own environment, we begin to see how much unhealthy food and drink surrounds us. Our campaign ads show how overwhelming this is from a child’s eye view. We’re bombarded with advertising and promotions for it. It’s there when paying for petrol or buying a tin of paint. It’s on never-ending price promotion. Expecting any of us to make a healthier choice is simply not possible when faced with this relentless sales push.
“We’re at an important moment in time and we know how our food environment is harmful to our health and our children’s health. We must ask ourselves – is this what we want? What would a better food environment look like? For too long we’ve let others decide. We all need to start that conversation with each other about what a better food environment could be like and start a momentum for change.”
As part of the campaign, Safefood will lead a Food Environment Forum which will comprise the lead health agencies involved in the policy and partnership work in this area and will steer a roadmap for the next five years. It is anticipated that the demand for change created by the campaign will help advance this work and expedite the changes needed to build a healthier food environment.
