Plea over children's poor diet

Tackling the poor diet of children across Ireland must be made a national priority, it will be claimed today.

The Labour Party is to unveil a plan highlighting the need for a balanced diet for Ireland’s young people.

The ’Make Food Poverty History’ blueprint comes after research found one in six Irish children suffers the effects of a poor diet.

Labour will detail its blueprint for tackling the problem that hits children from a wide range of backgrounds, with the fast food culture causing as much damage to children’s diet as poverty.

Despite Ireland’s record of economic growth over the past 15 years, Labour says there is growing concern about food poverty.

Research by University College Galway found one in six Irish children are suffering from food poverty.

In nutritional terms, food poverty is defined as the consumption of food whose nutritional content is too low to provide its consumers with their basic nutritional requirements, damaging their health and their quality of life.

Food poverty does not just affect those who are officially classified as poor.

The same research suggested that nearly 16% of middle class children were also suffering food poverty, often because of pressures of time or poor nutritional knowledge on the part of parents.

The Labour Party spokesperson on Agriculture and Food Dr Mary Upton will unveil the party’s ’Making Food Poverty History’ plan.

Tomorrow the Labour Party is due to reveal its joint economic policy with Fine Gael.