The Problem

We all know about the healthy eating guidelines. Our kids are taught them in school from a young age. But its not easy to actually follow those guidelines right now in Ireland.

Every day, everywhere, our kids are surrounded by nutrient poor, ultra-processed foods. They are cheap, they are convenient, and they’re designed to make kids like them. We’re talking food engineers and scientists, not chefs! What’s more, healthy food is expensive- more than 5 times more expensive per calorie.

The food environment is causing havoc to our children’s health. We’re seeing dental health issues, mental health issues, digestive issues, and growth issues.

This is not simply a matter of individual choice or parenting. Families, teachers and clubs are doing their best in a system that is flooded with ultra-processed foods and are driven by convenience and cost. It’s the wider food landscape that is shaped by aggressive marketing and cheap, readily available products that makes healthy choices harder to access and sustain.

Children are surrounded by a constant stream of “treat” foods that are bright and colourful, placed right at eye level in shops, sugary drinks in sports centres and fast food advertisements on bus shelters, billboards and TVS. These products are often tied to cartoon characters, influencers and sports figures, making them even more desirable. This kind of “manipulative food marketing” is embedded in a global food system that prioritises profits over health, making it harder for families and communities to protect and support healthier habits (Climate and Health Alliance, 2023).

Marketing, advertising and merchandise shape what we eat more powerfully than personal intention alone. Seasonal marketing overwhelms children with constant cues to choose sugary, highly processed treats. There is the ongoing maze of Easter eggs, buckets of Halloween sweets and a wave of chocolate at Christmas. Even the most well-informed struggle to navigate this landscape.

Nutrition education is essential, but it’s not enough on its own. We need action from the government to regulate advertising to children, and end the price promotions and product placement that make unhealthy food so readily available. We need to improve access to healthy food.

The Clonakilty Kids Food Revolution takes a two-pronged approach: building awareness and knowledge, and celebrating good food, while also transforming the community environments for kids to turn the tide against the ultra processed foods that are taking over.

Because we can make a change, if we all work together!