Low-income families 'unable to afford a healthy diet'
Low-income households would have to spend a quarter of their budget to buy healthy food for their families each week, it has been claimed today.
Sinead Keenan of Healthy Food For All said that there has been a large increase in the number of people experiencing food poverty.
"Food poverty is a growing concern," she said.
"We have 600,000 people living in food poverty in Ireland - this is an increase of 150,000 people from 2010 to 2013.
"We define food poverty as the inability to afford or to access a healthy diet due to issues of affordability, accessibility, availability and awareness."
It has been claimed that more than 13% of the population encounter food poverty, with many families unwilling or unable to buy healthier options because foods high in salt, fat and sugar are often cheaper.
The Government is being asked to spend €1m next year tackling food poverty.
