IHF backs €30m fund for obesity and food poverty

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has called for a €30 million Children’s Future Health Fund to tackle child obesity and food poverty, in its pre-budget submission. The Fund could be financed by a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened drinks that would yield about €60 million to the Exchequer. Health impact assessments have shown that this tax alone would reduce the number of obese people by 22,000, the IHF has said. The €30 million fighting fund should be established in the Budget, according to the IHF. In its pre-Budget submission, the heart disease and stroke charity demanded the setting up…