Crunch time for oily crisps

A STARK new health campaign showing a child drinking from a bottle of cooking oil highlights the dangerous effects of continually eating badly, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) said yesterday.

IHF medical director Dr Brian Maurer backed the latest claim made by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) that eating a packet of crisps a day was the equivalent of drinking five litres of oil a year.

Dr Maurer also agreed with the shock tactics used in the new campaign.

A BHF survey found that around half of British children admit to eating a packet of crisps a day, and almost one in five eat crisps twice a day or more.

“We can safely work on the assumption that Irish children’s eating habits are very similar,” said Dr Maurer.

A typical 35g bag of crisps contains about two-and-a-half teaspoons of oil, increasing to three-and-a-half for a 50g pack — the figures were released by the BHF as part of the second phase of the organisation’s Food4-Thought campaign, ahead of World Heart Day tomorrow.

Manager of the Nutrition and Health Foundation, Dr Louise Sullivan, said crisps, were at the top of the food pyramid and should only be eaten in small amounts.

“One of our key messages is to keep treats as treats, and a packet of crisps should be regarded as a treat,” she said.

“It is all about moderation and balance.”

“If children are getting their five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, they are less likely to be snacking on the foods that are at the top of the pyramid.”

Meanwhile, the Snack Food Council of Ireland referred to the 2005 National Children’s Food Survey which found that Irish children eat a pack of savoury snacks per day.

The council also claimed that the fat content in crisps had been reduced by 15% over the last 10 years.

“Demonising particular foods and categories is simply not the answer to improving people’s diets,” the council stressed.