Ban ads for unhealthy children’s food, urges group

A CLAMPDOWN on the advertising of unhealthy food at children and an increase in funding for PE in schools is needed if Ireland’s childhood obesity rates, which are higher than the European average, are to be tackled, according to the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF).

They are calling on the Government to ban TV marketing of unhealthy foods at children before 9pm, to start collecting data on the extent of such advertising and to begin ploughing money into PE so schools don’t have to rely on commercial funding.

The IHF and the National Heart Alliance (NHA) made a presentation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children yesterday where they outlined how food marketing affects childrens’ food preferences, their purchase behaviour and consumption of certain foods.