The Chipper - Irish institution or Death Machine?

Jelly Welly · 08-03-2026 04:54PM #1

How many heart attacks and strokes have been caused in Ireland by the greasy delights of the chipper?

Snack Boxes, Battered Sausages, Square Cod and buckets of greasey chips sliding down the necks of the obese - is it time for a ban or tax to fund treatment for the heavy unwell folk that are a drain on the health service?

Greyfox · 08-03-2026 05:06PM

Zero, all human beings need to take personal responsibility for there health. More tax would be punishing everyone for what a minority do, and this is always the braindead solution

One eyed Jack · 08-03-2026 05:08PM

is it time for a ban or tax to fund treatment for the heavy unwell folk that are a drain on the health service?

Nah.

Somewhat related, but I’m watching American TV and the amount of advertisements for GLP-1, almost as many as advertisements for Popeyes! 😳

Jim_Hodge · 08-03-2026 05:12PM

No. Don't punish those who enjoy an odd treat just because of the ill-disciplined obese who'll eat junk all day every day regardless .

macraignil · 08-03-2026 05:12PM

In moderation chippers do not cause heart attacks and strokes. For someone who is obese or overweight then they need to be aware of how high calorie food might increase risk of coronary disease but this can be done through education or even mandatory signage rather than a ban or additional tax. We already have too much of a nanny state to have bans and additional taxes on food that does not cause harm with occasional consumption.

cj maxx · 08-03-2026 05:12PM

Exactly . Some fool drinks too much tax drink . Some eat nothing but crap food tax it . Nanny state .

banie01 · 08-03-2026 05:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296254#Comment_124296254

Its absolutely staggering isn't it.
I have quite a bit of US TV on during the day too.

The amount of direct advertising for prescription meds on TV in the US really is an eye opener.
That said, some of the jingles really are catchy, the musical inspired one for Jardiamce really is an earworm.

I fully appreciate that drugs need to be promoted to their market, but?
I'd much rather rely on the Irish or UK system where the drug is evaluated by NICE, placed on the matrix of meds available for prescription and prescribed solely when and because that particular medicine is the best and most appropriate option for a patient.

The marketing budget gets cut, that headspace on price goes into offering patients/insurers/health systems better prices.

The difference between "patient education" and aggressive marketing of medication is lost in the maelstrom of US advertising.

Strumms · 08-03-2026 05:24PM

I’ve a takeaway once a week. Usually the chipper.

It’s been a tradition in the family here since my grandmother’s time. She and my grandfather lived well into their ‘80’s….my parents the same they still enjoy their weekly takeaway.

both get regular exercise. My mother walks habitually, always has, the cold won’t bother her and she attends a weekly exercise class also… she’s literally the healthiest person I’ve ever known 🤞 put it down to a balanced and varied diet + exercise, from when she was a kid..

saintsaltynuts · 08-03-2026 05:29PM

The price of it now is enough to make anyone skinny.

artanevilla · 08-03-2026 05:32PM

Taxation on this kind of thing is just a taxation on those less well off and helps to create a two tiered society. Personal responsibility is the way to go.

igCorcaigh · 08-03-2026 05:35PM

Tax? No.

State subsidies for better quality chippers? Yes.

Most of them are rubbish.

Marty Bird · 08-03-2026 05:43PM

Rather than tax everyone. I’d like to see anyone that’s medically obese or over a certain BMI to pay more at the till or restrict them from eating it all together. The government could use the Covid pass model to keep obese people from eating it.

igCorcaigh · 08-03-2026 06:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296314#Comment_124296314

I would hate to live in a society that treats anyone in this way. I hope you're not serious…

Jim_Hodge · 08-03-2026 06:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296314#Comment_124296314

I'm hoping you're being facetious there. Absurd idea that's never gonna happen.

Marty Bird · 08-03-2026 06:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296384#Comment_124296384

Yes I’m deadly serious. We have a huge epidemic of cancers, heart disease and obesity, all driven by ultra processed foods, fast food and sugary drinks.

We need serious action the amount that the government will spend on Health due to those issues will be huge. So tax those that refuse to take personal responsibility for their health.

And while we’re at it tax all electric scooters and bikes it’s only fat people that buy them.

SVI40 · 08-03-2026 06:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296296#Comment_124296296

Eating healthily is less expensive then getting take aways. You just need to be organised. A healthy meal can be drummed up in 20 minutes, for less than €5 per person.

Marty Bird · 08-03-2026 06:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296392#Comment_124296392

Why wouldn’t work? It worked for those that didn’t take the medicine during COVID and restricted them from indoor dining. Do the same for the overweight and obese.

jackboy · 08-03-2026 06:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296427#Comment_124296427

Very very few people are obese from too much chipper food. The vast majority are obese from too much sugar. Sweets, biscuits, cakes, crisps, ice cream, these are the main culprits.

Diddly Squat · 08-03-2026 07:36PM

I wouldn't put a tax on it but I would put the approximate calories contained in any item listed on the menu board beside it, like many I have to keep an eye on what I eat to try and keep the weight off because I fatten like a pig if I don't. I’ve often thought off I had an idea of how many calories something contained then people might make better choices, and that goes across the board from Michelin star restaurants to the local coffee shop

Jim_Hodge · 08-03-2026 07:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296563#Comment_124296563

Researchers at the University of Liverpool, Oxford and in the US found little or no benefit from calorie labelling

For instance,

There was no meaningful decrease in the number of calories purchased or consumed following the policy implementation.

Noticing of calorie information rose, with 31.8% of participants reporting awareness of calorie labels post-implementation, compared to 16.5% before.

Despite higher awareness, only a small percentage of customers reported using calorie information when making food choices following the policy implementation.

Awareness and use of calorie labelling were higher among older adults, and people in higher socioeconomic groups. (Hardly the target audience).

Generally there is a move away from calories being a useful metric anyway.

E.G.

“Calories are an outdated, outmoded, and, I would argue, a useless form of information to get people to eat healthier,” said Giles Yeo, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge who focuses on the connections between genes, food intake, and obesity. "The problems with calorie labels are twofold, Yeo said. First, “when you’re trying to compare different types of foods, it gives you nothing about the nutritional content of the food.” When picking between, say, a burrito bowl and a BLT at a restaurant, information about the protein, fibre, fat, or sodium in each item would be more useful than calories in steering people toward healthy choices."

Diddly Squat · 08-03-2026 09:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296607#Comment_124296607

Ok, great info, thanks

Dial Hard · 08-03-2026 09:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296439#Comment_124296439

Sugar is not particularly calorific - about 16 calories in a tablespoon, if memory serves. Neither is it particularly palatable on its own - when was the last time you saw anyone dipping directly from a sugarbowl??? The issue is that food manufacturers have hit on various combinations of sugar, salt and fat that make processed foods hyperpalatable and therefore incredibly difficult to eat in moderation, particularly for people who are susceptible to "food noise" and/or struggle with impulse control.

jackboy · 08-03-2026 09:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296860#Comment_124296860

And such foods are everywhere. Supermarkets are swamped with junk now. Petrol stations are ridiculously bad.

I find even in the workplace now there is wide scale attempted forcing of junk on people. Anyone who resists are called weird to their face😀

Chippers are far from the problem.

Dial Hard · 08-03-2026 10:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124296877#Comment_124296877

Yep. And for people who grew up in a house where no-one cooked from scratch, A) that kind of food is the norm rather than a treat, and B) "real" food is probably never going to be able to "reward" you in the same way. I genuinely believe that ultra-processed food manufacturers are going to be viewed similarly to tobacco companies in the future.

Mother Shaboobu · 08-03-2026 10:22PM

Went to a shopping centre today and became peckish. Each café I went to sold utterly awful, processed, stodgy, mass-produced muck. Thankfully I eventually found a health shop with an adjoining café, and the sandwiches weren't great for a supposedly healthy place, but the salads were fantastic. Got a small slice of cake then for a treat - unfortunately awful, stodgy, mass-produced muck.

burningrubbish · 08-03-2026 11:42PM

€4+ for a bag of chips everywhere now, they will be on they out with prices like that

anewme · 08-03-2026 11:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058435508/the-chipper-irish-institution-or-death-machine

Should be a campaign against square cod under the trade descriptions act.

Mother Shaboobu · 09-03-2026 12:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124297123#Comment_124297123

I cannot bear those artificial sweeteners (with the exception of Pepsi Max - best of a bad lot). A very occasional can of Coke is better than regular consumption of that crap. Fancy spritzers/mixers like Belvoir Farm are still full sugar but they're expensive. I only get them as a treat if I'm having people over for prosecco.

Mother Shaboobu · 09-03-2026 12:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124297200#Comment_124297200

Same with my friend.

Widdensushi · 09-03-2026 12:51AM

When you head over the border the amount of chippers in every village/town is noticably more than soup, not sure how much odds it makes to lifespan/ health.

Strumms · 09-03-2026 02:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124297128#Comment_124297128

they are gone extortionate true

€12.40 for my order.. curry chips with a quarter pounder and cheese….

Business isn’t exactly on its uppers as they close up for a couple of weeks in the autumn as the family go off back to Italy… some nice cars outside including a Mercedes C class and a Merc SUV of some type.

The Chipper - Irish institution or Death Machine?

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