One in six school children are overweight or obese and while levels appear to have stabilised or decreased in recent years, especially in girls, they are still too high.

The Food Dudes programme, aimed to change children’s eating habits for life, has been effective from 2010 to 2016, according to an evaluation report.

THE recent BSE scare underlined once again the importance of the Irish food and agriculture industry, and how a significant part of the nation’s economy can become affected by an unexpected circumstance.

THE country’s already struggling finances are being drained of at least €1.5 billion every year as a direct result of poor public nutrition standards and related conditions.

A NATIONAL food survey of Irish teenagers has revealed that one in five is overweight or obese, with the rate in boys increasing faster than in girls.