The Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), and Safefood have published the National Diet and Nutrition Survey Report for Northern Ireland (2017-2023).

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) is a continuous cross-sectional survey, designed to assess the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general population aged 18 months and over living in private households in the UK.

To provide a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population, each fieldwork year, Department of Health, FSA and Safefood, fund the additional recruitment of around 100 adults, aged 19 years and older and 100 children, aged 18 months to 18 years living in Northern Ireland to be surveyed.

Key Findings

Fruit and Vegetables

• Fruit and vegetable intake was below the ‘5 A Day’* recommendation in all age and sex groups.
• Only 4% of 11- to 18-year-olds meet the ‘5 A Day’ recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake.
• As income increased, the percentage of those meeting the ‘5-A-Day’ recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake also increased.

Fibre

• Fibre intake was below government recommendations for all age groups.
• In men aged 65 years and over, fibre intake increased with increasing income.

Sugar

• 11- to 18-year-olds were the highest mean consumers of sugary, fizzy drinks and squashes at 167mls/day.
• Mean consumption of confectionary was highest in 11- to 18-year-olds, at 14g/day for boys, and 20g/day for girls.

Red Meat

• 11- to 18-year-old boys were the highest mean consumers of meat products (67g/day).
• Women aged 65 years and over were the lowest mean consumers (17g/day).
• Apart from 4- to 10-year-olds mean daily consumption was higher for males than females.

Chips and Fried Foods

• The highest mean consumption of chips and other fried foods was among 11- to 18-year-olds (37g/day for boys and 50g/day for girls).
• Consumption was lowest for 65-year-olds and over (16g/day for men and 8g/day for women).

Saturated Fat and Free Sugars

• In all age groups, recommendations for intake of mean saturated fatty acids and free sugars were exceeded.

Total Energy 

• Mean daily intakes of total energy in 18 months to 3-year-olds exceeded the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) and were close to the EAR for 4- to 10-year-olds.

Out of Home Food Consumption

• 88% of 11- to 18-year-olds reported buying food or drink from the out of home sector (for example cafes, pubs, takeaways) in the last 7 days followed by 84% of 19- to 64-year-olds and 80% of 4- to 10-year-olds.

You can read the report in full here

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently reported that four men had been given custodial sentences for diverting meat not fit for human consumption back into the human food chain

The defendants were convicted earlier this year following an investigation by Southwark Council and the Food Standard Agency’s National Food Crime Unit, with a judge at the Inner London Crown Court handing down custodial sentences.

Anthony Fear, sole director of a business known as Fears Animal Products Ltd was sentenced to 42 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud by placing food not fit for human consumption on the market and disqualified from acting as a company director for six years.

Mark Hooper, a manager at Fears Animal Products Ltd, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years, for conspiracy to defraud by placing food not fit for human consumption on the market and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Azar Irshad was sentenced to 35 months in prison for conspiracy to defraud, failure to comply with Regulation 19 of the Food Safety & Hygiene Regulations relating to unapproved premises, placing food not fit for human consumption on the market (smokies), placing food not fit for human consumption on the market (out of date beef burgers) and placing food not fit for human consumption on the market (Illegally diverted ABP Cat 3).  Irshad was also given a criminal behaviour order for an indefinite period, prohibiting any involvement in the food industry.

Ali Afzal was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 21 months, 150 hours unpaid work, and ordered to pay costs of £5000, for failure to comply with Regulation 19 Food Safety & Hygiene Regulations relating to unapproved premises.

Fears Animal Products Ltd will be sentenced in 2026 following the conclusion of confiscation proceedings. Costs for Fear, Hooper, and Irshad will also be determined following the conclusion of confiscation proceedings.

Mark Hooper also pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges relating to a separate matter in Aylesbury and received a concurrent 24-month sentence.

The sentencing follows court proceedings on a complex investigation that began when Southwark officers discovered 1.9 tonnes of Category 3 animal by- products, including whole and cut chickens, lamb’s testicles and beef burgers, being processed for sale into the human food chain at an illegal meat cutting plant in London. The illegal cutting plant was not registered as a food business, had no running hot water and the meat was prepared in unhygienic conditions.

NFCU enquiries traced the animal by products back to legitimate food business operators who confirmed these meat products had been sent to Fears Animal Byproducts in Somerset for manufacture into pet foods or for safe disposal.

Once meat is classified as an animal by- product, it is permanently excluded from the human food chain for safety reasons. Evidence of criminal conspiracy was then pieced together through analysis of large volumes of communications data and other evidence which revealed the criminal relationship between the four men.