Cathal BarryIt’s great to see retail figures reveal that Irish people have been making the switch to healthier products.
According to reports, there have been vast increases in sales of healthier foods such as nuts, brown rice and dairy alternatives in the last two years.
The Nielsen Global Health and Wellness Survey polled more than 30,000 people worldwide and used grocery market sales data to track the products they’re buying more of as part of their health improvement goals.
It showed that some 40% of Irish consumers said they were changing their diet to eat less processed food, which indicated better intentions than the rest of Europe, where only 29% made these claims.
Sales figures from Irish supermarkets also revealed major shifts in consumer purchases over the last two years.
Figures reveal some subtle but notable drops:
- There has been an 18% dip in sales of breakfast cereals.
- Sales of regular white rice fell by 8%.
- Wholemeal flour sales fell by 12%.
- Sales of fizzy drinks are down 5%.
- Sales of dairy spreads, meanwhile, plummeted by 11%, while butter sales stagnated.
These figures are stark when compared with foods that are on the rise:
- Sales of porridge and oats are up by 4%.
- Brown rice sales soared by 39%.
- Sales of spelt and gluten-free flour increased by 40%.
- Non-dairy milk alternatives sales – such as soya, almond or rice milk – have grown by 40%.
- Sales of coconut oil soared by a massive 869% and consumers bought 14% more rapeseed and sesame oil.
- Nuts are also on the rise, with sales of seeds soaring by over 80%.
It is interesting that at a time when figures for Ireland have shown a change in people’s eating habits, other countries have taken steps to reflect such changes.
Take Australia, for example, which has issued new guidelines on healthy eating for the first time in 15 years. Nutrition Australia has updated its ‘Healthy Eating Pyramid’ after it remained unchanged since 1999.
The new pyramid includes food items such as almond milk and quinoa for the first time, along with traditional staples such as fruit, vegetables, grains and dairy products.
It rules out junk food entirely and calls for people to cut added sugar and salt out of their diet immediately.
The new pyramid has also separated specific foods groups, to provide that greater level of detail, while still retaining the original structure.
The ‘Food Pyramid’ is designed to help people have a better understanding of the sorts of food they should be eating on a daily basis, and the ones they should steer clear from indulging in each day.
Although it is easily recognisable to most people in Ireland, ours is entirely outdated and in urgent need of review.
With warnings from experts at the World Health Organisation (WHO) that Ireland is on course to become the most obese country in Europe, we can’t afford to drag our heels.
Other countries have taken the lead on this issue. Ireland needs to follow suit.