Parents urged not to treat with sweets
Safefood, the food safety promotion board, highlighted the findings of a recent survey which showed almost one-fifth of the calories in children’s diets come from chocolate, crisps, sweets, cakes, biscuits and pastries and other treats.
The Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (IUNA) also found that the average Irish child aged between five and 12 eats twice as many treats as they should.
“We want parents to reduce the intake of unhealthy fats in children’s diets by reducing the number of unhealthy treats they are eating,” said Safefood chief public health specialist Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan.
“It’s crucial parents realise treat foods tend to contain very few nutrients other than calories, fat or sugar.
“To protect their child’s health now and in adulthood, there is a need to reduce these foods in their child’s diet and replace them with more nutritious foods,” she said.
According to the IUNA survey, one-in-five boys and 23% of girls are overweight or obese.
Treat foods can be high in saturated fat, which can be detrimental to children’s long-term heart health.
Excessive body weight is linked to heart disease and diabetes. According to the Diabetes Federation of Ireland, the incidence of the disease in Irish children rose from 1,445 cases in 2001 to 2,224 cases in 2003.
Safefood chief executive Martin Higgins stressed that parents are not being told to cut treats out altogether.
“We are simply encouraging parents to treat treats as treats,” he said.
A 2002 Department of Health study found 20% of 10- and 11-year-olds do not eat breakfast on school days, more than half eat sweets every day and one-third have a soft drink on a daily basis.
