Vending machines and tuck shops should be banned in schools

In light of the shocking findings of various reports on obesity in recent days, Fine Gael Senator Deirdre Clune is calling for the Minister for Health to target the nationwide problem of obesity by introducing a number of initiatives including the removal of tuck shops and vending machines which sell sweets in schools.

“I am extremely worried that obesity and people being overweight costs the country over €1.1 billion per year, according to a UCC study. Studies from Growing up Ireland also found that a quarter of thirteen year olds are overweight and 19% of children are overweight at age nine.

“It is my view that we as a government should be tackling this issue, it is essential to address the problem of obesity at childhood to ensure that the problem does not escalate into the later years of adulthood.

“Obesity has a huge impact on a child’s life and will have an effect in their later lives. Being overweight in the early years of your life increases the risk of developing conditions like asthma and diabetes. A child’s confidence can be affected by being overweight which can sometimes result in a vicious cycle.

“Of course exercise plays a central role in keeping us all fit however environment is also a key factor for our children who may be drawn to sugary or fatty foods.

“There are tuck shops and vending machines in most schools across the country. These are filled with sweet treats, crisps and other highly fattening food. We can monitor what our children eat at home but not while they are at school where they could be consuming unhealthy foods.

“I am calling for the Department of Health to collaborate with the Department of Education to ban these types of tuck shops and vending machines on school grounds. The system of Traffic Light Labelling should also be implemented in all supermarkets and shops.

“This system would involve the stores placing red, amber and green labels for packaged foods to indicate whether the product is high in fat, saturated fat, sugar, calories and salt. This could aid people in making healthy choices and expose some so called ‘healthy’ options.

“This was agreed on by all major supermarkets in the UK, and it will be tried here in Ireland by Tesco and Lidl. However there are many other mainstream places where people do their shopping like Dunnes, Supervalu etc. all supermarkets in my view should be obliged to introduce this labelling process.

“A high level political will and a commitment from the whole government is essential to make progress on this issue.”