Most adults say festive treats sold too early
Early food promotions for Halloween and Christmas lead to shoppers feeling annoyed, stressed, and pressured.
Almost nine in ten adults (87%) say retailers sell Halloween- and Christmas-themed foods like sweets and chocolate way too soon.
09 October 2024: A new survey¹ by Safefood has revealed that almost nine in ten adults (87%) believe promotions for Halloween and Christmas-themed foods like sweets and chocolate happen too soon. Of those surveyed, three in four (75%) also say these kinds of promotions for unhealthy foods leaves them feeling annoyed, stressed, and pressured. The survey from Safefood coincides with its new campaign to build a better Food Environment by raising awareness of the unhealthy food environment, how it is potentially harmful to our health and why it needs to change.
Food related ill-health is now the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world, with one in five children in Ireland living with either overweight or obesity. People today don’t have less willpower, different appetites, or different biology than previous generations - but today’s food environment encourages us to shop and eat unhealthily at nearly every turn.
Commenting on the survey, Dr Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition with Safefood said: “We can all already see them – stacks of Christmas sweet tins piled high in supermarkets since September. Plus, the hype of Halloween when children are only just back to school. We know retailers target this time of the year in order to extend sales before occasions like Halloween or Christmas – the industry even has a phrase for it, calling it ‘Summerween’. The real truth is that shoppers don’t want this. It’s not fair to be faced with this temptation so far in advance of special occasions and it leaves people feeling annoyed and stressed. If we want to build a healthier food environment for our health and that of our children, we need to stop these kinds of promotions. Expecting any of us to make a healthier choice is simply not possible when faced with this relentless sales push.”
Many parents had only just set healthy eating goals for back-to-school. Once again, the architecture of the food environment needlessly disrupts their resolve and willpower. Padraig Walsh, Behavioural Psychologist
Prof Donal O’Shea continued. “This reality check can't come soon enough; in the last month we have had publication of evidence that shows the new anti-obesity medications are safe and effective in children from the age of six years old and up. We need to decide as a society if we want to just treat our way out of the obesity epidemic, or actually change the food environment so that children are not harmed by the food industry behaviour. Now that we know obesity is a chronic relapsing disease, we must energise the prevention even more and call out harmful tactics".
Behavioural Psychologist Padraig Walsh added “This survey confirms that these prominent promotions along with their associated ‘pester power’ are highly effective in attracting attention, often leaving parents feeling annoyed, stressed, and pressured. Many parents had only just set healthy eating goals for back-to-school. Once again, the architecture of the food environment needlessly disrupts their resolve and willpower. Developing new habits takes time, typically months to become established, and such environmental pressures undermine these efforts at critical stages.”
Kirsten FitzGerald, Consultant Paediatric Dental Surgeon at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin continued “Dental caries (decay) is the most common childhood disease worldwide with around 40% of Irish children aged 5-12 years having experienced dental caries. The promotion of Halloween and Christmas treat foods will only serve to increase the level of caries leading to pain and infection, often requiring admission to hospital. As a nation, we need to leave the culture of seasonal treats in the past.”
Ends
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Wilson Hartnell PR: Heidi Morgan
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +353 (0)1669 0030
Safefood: Dermot Moriarty/Hayley Linehan
Email: [email protected]/[email protected]
Mobile: 086 381 1034 (Dermot)/087 406 9110 (Hayley)
References:
¹Survey was conducted by Safefood during September 2024 with 1,565 respondents.
²The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) in the Republic of Ireland (2020) - Findings from 2018 and 2019.
