The Problem
Every day our kids are surrounded by low-nutrient, ultra-processed and highly sweetened foods in schools, sports clubs, festivals and events. Despite the growing awareness of the importance of nutritious and sustainable foods, sugary and processed snacks are still the norm. These everyday temptations are often used as a reward or quick fixes making it difficult to build lasting healthy habits.
Across Ireland, the impact of poor food environments is deeply concerning. According to Safefood,
1 in 4 children in Northern Ireland
1 in 5 in Ireland
are growing up at risk of food-related ill health, with a higher chance of early death in adulthood. According to the Irish Heart Foundation, children who consume high levels of refined sugary and salty snacks are linked to excessive weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems and tooth decay.
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. That’s why the Clonakilty Kids Food Revolution takes a two-pronged approach: building awareness and knowledge while also transforming the environments where food choices are made—at school, in sports clubs and across the community.