The chicken nugget and chips combination so beloved of Irish children may become a thing of the past if a new restaurant initiative aimed at tackling childhood obesity takes off.
Thousands of restaurants are to begin offering child-sized portions of their adult menus alongside their children’s menus as part of a joint campaign announced today by the Nutrition and Health Foundation (NHF) and the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI).
While the "Kids Size Me" scheme being rolled out among the restaurant association's 6,000 members is looking to provide healthier options for children, the president of the umbrella group, Brian Fallon, said it would also give members who take part “huge marketing material” at a time when many are struggling to keep their doors open.
Participating restaurants will offer children access to healthier food options by making smaller portions of adult meals available as an alternative to the standard children’s menus.
They will carry the new "Kids Size Me" symbol. Over the coming weeks consumers will be able to visit wheretoeat.ie where a list of restaurants involved will be compiled.
At the launch, dietician and NHF manager Dr Muireann Cullen said Ireland had one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world and pointed out that one in four Irish children were overweight or obese.
She said it was “essential to ensure children have access to healthier food options in the appropriate serving size and that this is actively promoted by restaurants”.
Research commissioned by the NHF found that there is an overwhelming demand for child size portions of adult meals with 98 per cent of parents wanting the option of ordering smaller portions off adult menus for their children. It found that while 80 per cent restaurants already allowed diners to do this, nearly two-thirds did not publicise the fact.
The survey found 78 per cent of children chose their meal themselves with 53 per cent ordering of the adult menu. “It is clear that the demand is out there, and it is now time for restaurants to act on that demand,” Mr Fallon said. “It is about a mindset and about changing attitudes,” he said.
He said that he did not believe restaurants would replace their children’s menus but use the new portion options as “a bolt on to what already exists which will start a process of getting people to think about the healthier options.”.
He said the campaign would not cost restaurants money but would offer parents better value for money. The NHF survey found 55 per cent of parents though a children’ meal costing between €5 and €7.50 was value for money, while a third though the price ceiling could reach €10 and still represent good value.
