Children eating too much fat - study

A high percentage of Irish children eat too much fat, according to a new study from the cross-border food safety promotion board.

Safefood said the research had found that the fat intake of children aged between five and 12 years was well above the recommended allowance, with 20% of Irish boys and 23% of girls now classified as overweight.

Launching the study today, spokesperson Cliodhna Foley Nolan said the problem was being caused by a tendency among parents to choose convenient foods for their children.

"People get into ruts and they go for maybe the most obvious and the most advertised options, or something they think is convenient when they may not in fact be any more convenient than a more nutritious diet," she said.