Many secondary schools are continuing to offer their students unhealthy foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has claimed.

It carried out a survey of 39 post-primary schools and found that over half (51%) offered their students non-chilled snacks, including sweets, chocolate, crisps, scones and cakes.

Almost half (47%) had vending machines and one in four (25%) had a tuck shop selling a combination of hot and cold snacks, sandwiches and confectionary, such as chocolate and crisps.

Two in three school (67%) provided their students with hot snacks, such as soup, pizza slices and sausage rolls. However, the IHF pointed out that many of these foods are high in salt and fat.

Less than four in 10 schools (37%) offered their students full hot meals such as meat, vegetables and potatoes, while the same number offered sandwiches and cold snack options such as fruit, salads, yoghurts and smoothies.

Meanwhile, four in 10 schools (40%) did not provide free drinking water to pupils.

"Ireland is in the throes of an obesity epidemic and as many as one in five teenagers is obese or overweight. Yet despite calls to improve the availability of healthier foods in schools, our survey shows the opposite - that instead of enjoying a protected environment at school, Irish teenage students are faced everyday with unhealthy foods, low in nutrition and high in calories," commented IHF dietician, Sinead Shanley, who carried out the research.

She emphasised that this is not just about obesity, it is about ensuring that young people are consuming nutritious food ‘that keeps their organs and body systems healthy'.

"We know that 20% of 13-17 year-olds have diets high in sugar, and diets that are low in fibre, calcium, iron, folate and vitamin D, many of which are essential for growth, development and protection against heart disease," she pointed out.

The IHF warned that when it comes to the provision of food at second level, there is a ‘free for all' approach. While primary schools have policies in relation to this, there are no national standards governing secondary schools.

"As a first step the IHF calls on the Department of Education and Skills to immediately publish a healthy food policy stating that there should be no sales of top shelf foods from the Food Pyramid in schools, as indeed some schools have already done. This policy also needs to ensure that all schools provide free drinking water to pupils," commented the IHF's head of health promotion, Maureen Mulvihill.

Top shelf foods are those high in fat, salt and sugar, which are not considered essential for health and which can actually harm health if eaten in excess. They include confectionary, biscuits, cakes and fizzy drinks.

Ms Mulvihill added that almost all of the schools surveyed said that they would be interested in a National Catering Standard, e.g. through a Healthy Catering Award Scheme. The IHF is hoping to establish such a scheme by the end of this year.