Employers group Ibec released a report today detailing ways in which food producers are working to make their produce healthier.
Entitled
Enabling Healthier Lifestyles, the report illustrates ways in which its members have engaged actively with the Department of Health and Children's inter-sectoral group to tackle obesity problems.
"It demonstrates that food companies have invested heavily to develop new products that provide consumers with healthy choices for a balanced lifestyle", according to Ibec spokesman Shane Dempsey.
Mr Dempsey noted that research carried out by the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance found that Irish people had inadequate intake levels of certain vitamins and minerals.
The research had concluded that Irish women do not consume the recommended daily intake of calcium, iron and folic acid while children and teenagers' intake of calcium, iron, and vitamin A,C and D were inadequate.
Mr Dempsey said food producers were responding to these issues by fortifying their products with folic acid and vitamin D.
"Food companies have moved fast and invested heavily in response to consumer preferences for healthy options", he said, "for example, many products have been reformulated to remove additives and salt, thereby expanding the choice of healthy products".
The report cites the success of the 'Reduce Salt' campaign launched in 2004 by the Food Standards Authority of Ireland as one way members of Ibec are addressing the health needs of the population. Since the campaign's implementation, average daily salt intake in Ireland has fallen from 10 grams to approximately eight grams.