Healthy eating key to tackling obesity
LOUTH TD WELCOMES NEW EU HEALTHY EATING PROGRAMME LAUNCH
THE launch of the new funded EU healthy eating campaign was warmly welcome by Dundalk TD Peter Fitzpatrick who has been a strong advocate in the fight against obesity.
The programme is aimed at increasing the share of healthy food in the diet of young people in particular, and is key, says the former Louth GAA manager, to addressing the obesity epidemic.
‘ This funding is crucial in tackling poor diets of children across Ireland and this is the first of six years of funding we will receive which is a direct intervention to make healthy fruit, vegetable and dairy more accessible for all.
He explained that the funding will be used not only to provide fruit, vegetables and milk to schoolchildren but also to support learning about agriculture and healthy diets as well as information, monitoring and evaluation.
‘Its goal is to not only improve diets but to instil in children healthy eating habits that will lead to healthier outcomes and a long term improvement in their diets.’
Research has shown that instilling healthy eating patterns in children when they are younger does have a long term effect on the food choices they go on to make as adults.
A number of schools across Louth already take part in healthy food programmes, but this scheme is broadly wel- comed for providing funding to ensure a lot more school children can benefit from eating better.
The programme will be run under the ‘Food Dudes Healthy Eating’ scheme and is described as an ‘ evidence based incentivised behaviour changing programme’.
It has been uniquely designed and developed by the Food and Activity Research Unit at Bangor University, Wales.
It is managed by Bord Bía, the Irish Food Board, and was first rolled out in Ireland in 2005.
It is funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine Ireland and receives an EU financial contribution under the EU Fruit and Vegetables Scheme.
‘ This program is positive step by the EU in ensuring our children eat better and since 2011 there has been a near 50% increase in the number of children eating fruit daily who had taken part in the program,’ said Deputy Fitzpatrick.
He added that the original Food Dudes programme was completed in 2014 having reached 477,423 school children and 3127 schools, which was effectively 95% of all primary schools in Ireland.
‘I am confident that with this latest round of funding over the next six years we will see this improved healthy approach to eating a balanced diet continue to increase with every child in Ireland benefiting.’