School canteens in Ireland should not be permitted to sell unhealthy food, according to the influential Joint Committee on Education and Skills.
The cross party committee also called for an “outright ban on vending machines which dispense unhealthy foods and drinks”. Research published in 2015 by the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) showed that 47% of schools had vending machines.
In a report published this month, it also raised concerns over digital advertising targeting children, especially via smartphones – this kind of marketing should be “regulated appropriately”, the committee said.
The committee also heard about one school where adverts for a fast food chain had appeared on school grounds. Some 70% of schools in Ireland have a fast food outlet within one kilometre, whilst 30% have access to five within the same radius.
As well as measures to improve diets and encourage healthy eating, the committee set out a range of recommendations to promote healthy lifestyles and increase physical activity.
Schools without access to physical education facilities should be prioritised under the school building programme, for example, whilst break times should be targeted to promote increased activity in children. Rather than flat, boring, concrete playgrounds, schools and ministers should consider, where possible, the long term benefits of investing in fixed playgrounds in primary schools.
Chair of the Committee, Fiona O’Loughlin TD, said the report focused on “practical recommendations that could be incorporated in the government’s plans for tackling childhood obesity”.
She added: “The unaffordability of healthy foods in comparison to processed foods is an issue that needs to be tackled globally. In Ireland, if we are to deal with a problem which costs the State approximately €1 billion annually in treating individuals who are overweight or obese, it is essential that on-going and sustainable school programmes, teacher training, and training for communities and parents are in place to reverse obesity trends.”
An IHF study found that only 59% of schools had a healthy eating policy. Nearly one in three primary schools had done “no work on developing a healthy eating policy”.
