Failure to tackle obesity problem

PUBLIC health diet promotions are failing to tackle the growing problem of obesity, a new report states.

Radical changes may need to be made to food labelling and advertising, the SLÁN 2007 report suggests.

Caloric intake and portion sizes of foods high in fat and sugars will need to be reduced.

The excess consumption of foods high in fats and sugar is of particular concern since these types of food possess little to no nutritional value and may contribute to adverse health conditions, the report stressed.

“While the results from SLÁN 2007 show some positive findings — notably the increase in fruit and vegetable consumption since 1998 — the findings with regard to other major nutritional indicators give cause for serious concern and will require a concerted response from policymakers and the food sector in the coming years,” it states.

Ten percent of those who took part in the survey did not meet any of the recommendations in the healthy eating guidelines put in place to encourage people to eat a variety of foods based on the food pyramid.

Less than 1% met the recommendations.

Just over one-quarter of those taking part in the survey (26%) were complying with the recommended six plus daily servings of cereals, breads and potatoes.

Almost two-thirds (65%) consumed five plus daily servings of fruit and vegetables, with women (71%) significantly higher than men (59%) in this category.

Only one-fifth (20%) were complying with the recommended three daily servings of dairy products (milk, cheese and yoghurts), with similar percentages of men (21%) and women (19%) meeting this target.

Some two-fifths (39%) were complying with the recommended two daily servings of meat, fish, poultry and alternatives, with women more likely to meet this target (41%) than men (37%).

While 41% reported consuming more than two servings of these protein products, one-fifth (20%) reported consuming less than the two recommended servings.

Less than one-fifth (14%) of those who took part in the survey were complying with the recommended under three daily servings of foods high in fats and sugar like oils, butter, margarines and cakes.

In examining the individual food constituents of the cereals, breads, potatoes, rice and pasta shelf it was found that men consumed more servings of breads and significantly more potatoes on a daily basis than women, whereas women consumed more cereals.