Families spending more on junk food than fruit and veg

IRISH families are spending more on highly processed snacks than on fruit and veg, with the average household forking out over €1,000 on ‘treat’ food every year.

New research from Safefood has revealed almost one-fifth of the average weekly family food shop goes towards purchasing the likes of crisps, chocolates and sweets, compared to only 10% spent on fruit and 7% on vegetables.

On average, families with children spent €1,037 last year on treat foods, compared to €521 on fruit and €346 on vegetables.

This research focused only on supermarket shopping purchases, and didn’t take trips to outlets such as cafés and cinemas into account.

Broadcaster and GP Ciara Kelly said it is ‘disappointing’ that treat foods have such a prominence on the average family’s shopping list, as they should only be given to children on an infrequent basis. ‘The eating of calorie-dense foods that are rich in sugar and fat is one of the things that contributes to our increasing problem in this country with obesity,’ she told the Irish Daily Mail.

Dr Kelly added that the issue is not just what food people reach for, but also how much of it they are eating.

‘We’re eating too much, our quantity and our portion sizes are all part of the issue as well,’ she said.

‘But certainly eating a lot of treat foods on a regular basis – there’s no two ways about it, it will result in you putting on weight.’

Echoing these sentiments, Laura Erskine, head of community at MummyPages.ie, described the proportion of the average weekly shop spent on treat foods as worrying.

‘Whether these are intended for the adults or the children in the household to consume, there is still cause for concern,’ she told the Mail. ‘Our nation’s obesity levels are rising to epidemic levels and we have one of the worst records in Europe for dental health, with sugar being the biggest culprit for both issues.

‘Education of the origin, nutrient value, healthy intake levels and practical cooking experience should start at Montessori level of schooling and continue right through secondary school.’ She added: ‘If we are going to break the cycle of poor food choices and unhealthy attitudes towards food, including extreme views of diets and fads, we need to start with our children.’

However, both Ms Erskine and Dr Kelly pointed out that fruit and veg tend to be cheaper than processed foods, which may contribute to why they make up such a small proportion of the weekly shopping budget.

‘Our mums regularly plan their meals around the weekly fruit and vegetable offers in-store from as little as 49 cents,’ Ms Erskine added.

Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, director of human health and nutrition with consumer awareness body Safefood, said that foods which are full of empty calories have become a staple in weekly shopping trips.

‘We accept them as the norm in our children’s daily diet and they are not seen as a real treat any more,’ she said. The balance is all wrong and we’re under-consuming the vital nutrients in fruit and vegetables.

‘Undoubtedly, this level of consumption by families is contributing to our dangerous levels of overweight, type 2 diabetes and cancer.’

‘Cause for concern’