National Dairy Council highlights lack of calcium in teenagers’ diets

Many teenagers have insufficient calcium in their diet, the National Dairy Council said at yesterday’s launch of National Dairy Week, which runs until Friday.

The NDC cited findings from national surveys which showed 37% of girls and 28% of boys aged from five to 12 years; and 42% of teenage girls and 23% of teenage boys aged from 13 to 17 years in Ireland had insufficient calcium intake in their diet.

NDC chief executive, Zoe Kavanagh, said: “Including dairy as part of a balanced diet is an important message for both young and old, which is why dairy education is a key part of our strategy.”

This week’s events will include a number of ‘From Farm to Fridge’ workshops in primary schools, hosted by Agri Aware; schools-based competitions and talks by leading dietitians. Macra na Feirme is bringing young farmers to South King Street, in Dublin city centre, for a ‘DairyFest’ from 11am to 3pm today.

Also today, the NDC and the Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute are hosting a symposium on ‘Dairy Protein and Healthy Ageing’ in Clyde Court Hotel, Dublin.

Rugby stars Rob and Dave Kearney are also helping the NDC to promote the dietary benefits of consuming dairy.

This week’s events are supported by SuperValu whose trading director, Eamon Howell, said: “It is hard to believe that one in four litres of milk sold in the Republic of Ireland does not carry the NDC guarantee; however this is certainly not the case at SuperValu.