The Government should use revenue from the sugar tax to “subsidise healthier foods”, one of the country’s leading obesity experts has suggested. 

A recent poll by the EY Future Consumer Index found that 72% of Irish shoppers want healthier, more sustainable products to be more affordable. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, HSE Obesity Lead Dr Donal O’Shea described it as a “very positive” figure and demonstrates conversations within society about healthy living and eating are “resonating”. 

“The challenge is making the healthier choice easier, more affordable,” he said. 

“So, cost is a barrier; I think education is a barrier because there is an entrenched misconception that eating healthily is intrinsically and inevitably very expensive. 

“It is more expensive but you can do a lot with pasta, tinned tomatoes and a chicken for under a tenner for five people - and you don’t do that with a takeaway.” 

Dr O’Shea added that while the “fundamentals of healthy eating can be done reasonably cheaply”, the Government should do more to help people. 

“We have to incentivise it and I think we have to use money that comes in from the sugar tax,” he said. 

“If you expanded the base on the sugar tax, use that to subsidise healthier foods.”

A fruit and veg market stall on Camden Street, Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Dr O'Shea also praised the School Meals Scheme as a "huge opportunity" for society to educate young people about healthy eating.

"It's incredibly positive," he said.

"I think as an opportunity for educating kids in preparation and healthy foods... it's huge.

"The investment is massive, it's going to be [up to] €700 million by the time it's reached into secondary schools.

"If we simply use that to buy ready meals from large companies and don't engage the students with the farm to fork agricultural economy that we are, then we're missing a massive opportunity."

Main image: Fresh vegetables and fruits. Picture by: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty