《TAIPEI TIMES》 Foundation warns about teens’ junk food consumption

/ Staff writer, with CNA

High consumption of junk food by teenagers in Taiwan is putting their health at risk, and the popularity of food delivery platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation, a foundation said on Sunday last week.

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A survey targeting high-school students conducted by the Child Welfare League Foundation, ROC, showed that 70 percent of respondents ate sweets or snacks at least once per week, while 60 percent purchased sugary beverages once per week.

Nearly 25 percent of respondents consumed junk food on a daily basis, a problem that requires greater attention from parents, the foundation said.

Increasing use of food delivery platforms during the pandemic had worsened the situation among high-school students, it said.

Thirty-three percent used food delivery services at least twice a week, with 70 percent of that group ordering meals, and 55.5 percent, 41.2 percent and 31.4 percent getting beverages, snacks and fried foods respectively, the survey showed.

Respondents in that group were prone to health issues such as fatigue and insomnia, the foundation said, without giving details.

Children whose parents commonly eat junk foods are two to three times more likely to do the same compared with those whose parents eat healthier, it said.

Parents should develop a healthy diet and eat with their children more often, the foundation said.

The government should require food delivery platforms to provide details about calories, sugar and caffeine content for the beverages they deliver to alert people to the contents of on-site-produced beverages, it said.

The government’s Nutrition and Health Survey, which was conducted from 2017 to 2020, showed that 26 to 30 percent of people aged seven to 18 in Taiwan are either overweight or obese, the foundation said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES