The way that food is produced and consumed in Ireland needs to radically change in order to protect public health and the environment, a new report by the Climate and Health Alliance has claimed.

According to the report, Fixing Food Together, Ireland’s current food system is “like a slow motion disaster”, fuelling premature death and disability as a result of diet-related chronic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The Climate and Health Alliance is made up of a range of medical, health and social care professional organisations, non-governmental organisations, public health organisations and advocacy groups.

Its report warns that a lack of policies to shape a healthy food environment has caused ultra-processed foods and excessive red and processed meat to dominate the Irish diet at the expense of fruit, vegetables, plant proteins, wholegrains and sustainable seafood.

“This is like a slow-motion disaster unfolding before our eyes. The global food system we have created can feed the world but has also made us heavier and sicker. It destroys wildlife, pollutes our rivers and air and produces a third of our greenhouse gas emissions.

“In Ireland, we now have a disturbing overconsumption-undernutrition paradox,” commented Tim Collins, CEO of the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF), which is one of the alliance’s founding members.

The report recommends six key areas where Ireland needs to drive change:

-Ending the junk food cycle

-Promoting transition away from over-consumption of processed foods to a more plant-based diet including beans, peas and lentils

-Harnessing the power of global and national guidelines

-Reducing food waste

-Improving agricultural practices and land use

-Using a policy approach to cause behaviour change.

Meanwhile, the report coincided with new IHF-commissioned research from Ipsos, which found that just one in five people understand how big an impact reducing our intake of red and processed meat or ultra-processed foods will have on lowering greenhouse gases.

“Poor diet kills one in five people globally. We need to realise if we eat to maintain a healthy weight and not overeat, this reduces food waste and means we are not contributing to extra greenhouse gas emissions. It is no longer acceptable to chase economic gain at the expense of the environment,” Mr Collins added.