Just 4 per cent of young people in Northern Ireland are eating enough fruit and vegetables, a new report has claimed.
Adults and older children are falling well behind the rest of the UK when it comes to eating the recommended amount, according to a report from the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland and the Department of Health.
The study found that 96 per cent of children aged between 11 and 18 in Northern Ireland are not getting their 5 A DAY, and neither are 82 per cent of adults aged between 19 and 64, nor 77 per cent of those aged 65 and over.
Ruth Balmer, senior scientific adviser at the FSA in Northern Ireland, told the Belfast Telegraph: 'These figures are alarming and everyone needs to be aware that poor eating habits increase our risk of developing diet-related diseases and health problems.
'It is startling that so few of our young people and teenagers - just 4 per cent - are eating the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables and it shows us just how much work we need to do with young people and teenagers.'
Analysis of food consumption and nutrient intake was based on 470 adults and 512 children monitored between 2008 and 2012.
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