Less than half of Irish eating establishments include vegetables as part of their children's menus, new research indicates.

According to a new report from Safefood, entitled Do you have a kids' menu?, just 42% of establishments listed vegetables on children's menus. This finding was based on a survey of 180 caterers, 192 parents and 90 children.

The top three most widely available foods on children's menus were found to be sausages, beef burgers and chicken nuggets.

The report revealed that while almost two in three caterers provide healthier options for children, only around one in four actively promote these options.

However, almost eight in 10 caterers said that they would provide healthier choices if the demand was greater.

"Consumer demand will ultimately dictate any changes to children's menus. We would advise parents to ask for fruit and or vegetables with every kid's meal and ask for water as a drink. Those little steps will really help," commented Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood.

She said that while some caterers have started to introduce healthier options on their menus, ‘they need to make them more attractive to tempt children to choose them'.

When it came to the decision to eat out with children, the report noted that ‘time and convenience' and the idea of a ‘treat' were the main reasons for choosing this option.

Meanwhile, a second report from Safefood, Good Days and Bad Days, looked at consumer behaviour when shopping for groceries. Just over 1,000 consumers were interviewed.

It showed that women, people from higher socioeconomic groups and those with a better knowledge of nutrition, were more likely to buy healthy foods.

Those who bought healthier foods ‘planned to buy fresh and healthy food, looked at food labels and were more willing to try new foods, but they still tried to take into account their family's preferences', explained lead researcher, Dr Moira Dean of Queen's University Belfast.

The report pointed out that people were less likely to buy healthy foods if they shopped while they were hungry, tired or stressed. Although many said they used a list to help them avoid impulse buying.

Based on the findings, Safefood recommended a number of tips to help consumers when they are shopping:
-Plan ahead
-Have a few easy recipes that are easy to stock up for and that you can cook regularly
-Try not to shop when hungry, tired or stressed
-Avoid food promotions that are for unhealthy foods
-Learn how to read labels so that you understand what you are eating.