The diet of people in Northern Ireland is much worse than is typical in the UK, according to research by the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland.
Its latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey contains figures for Northern Ireland for the first time which show the population eats too much saturated fat, added sugars and salt and not enough fruit, vegetables and fibre.
The survey, co-funded by the Northern Ireland agency, the NI’s Department of Health, and Safefood, found that fruit and vegetable consumption in Northern Ireland was significantly lower than in the UK as a whole.
Some 82 per cent of adults and 96 per cent of children aged 11 to 18 did not meet the five-a-day recommendation.
The consumption of oil-rich fish was also well below the recommended 140g a week and “significantly lower” than in the UK as a whole while fibre consumption was also “ significantly lower”.
The research found that males aged 11 to 18 eat more than the recommended amount of red and processed meat. Overall intakes of saturated fat exceeded recommendations in all age groups.
Adults and children in the most deprived group did not eat as much fruit and vegetables as wealthier people.
The study found that overall consumption of sugar, fizzy drinks, confectionery, chips, fried foods and meat tended to be higher in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK.
The research was based on an analysis of the food and nutrient intake of almost 1,000 adults and children between 2008 and 2012.
Ruth Balmer, senior scientific adviser at the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland, said the figures were “alarming” and that it was startling that just 4 per cent of children ate the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables.
According to the latest figures, 62 per cent of Northern Ireland’s adults are either overweight or obese, which is slightly lower than the Republic where two thirds of people are overweight or obese.
