One in four of Bermuda's population could have diabetes by 2025 if current trends continued warned Diabetes Centre coordinator Debbie Jones.

She has called for Government to look at subsidising healthy eating options after noting that fruit and vegetables are pricey compared to junk food which led to the deadly disease.

Ms. Jones has just been appointed chairwomen of the International Diabetes Federation for the North American region which covers Bermuda, the Caribbean and Mexico.

She said: "In the last ten years, there has been an almost 50 percent increase in obesity in the islands."

She expects Bermuda's diabetic population to double by 2025 if it followed world trends.

"Right now it is about 8,000. If you look at the way estimates are going it could be 15,000. That's about a quarter of Bermuda's population.

"We are getting younger and younger people diagnosed with diabetes."

However most of Bermuda's sufferers have Type Two diabetes which is linked with obesity and poor diets.

She said taxing junk food and using cash to subsidise fruit and vegetables, which she said were expensive in Bermuda, could boost the healthy eating trend.

"It could cause anger, just like with the cigarette industry. Then this leverage could be given against fresh fruits and vegetables so they are more accessible.

"At the moment it's so much cheaper to buy hamburger and French fries than healthy foods."

She encouraged people to use the farmers' market in Hamilton which sells local produce at bargain rates.

"For $15 you can get a quite a lot of groceries there compared to the supermarkets. It's absolutely fresh and comes right out of the garden," said Ms. Jones. "It's still got the dirt on it."

Health Minister Nelson Bascome said an active campaign was underway in schools which would help reverse the dangerous trend.

He said changing the way food was taxed was not the answer because people would always buy what they wanted regardless.

The decline in smoking was cited as a sign by the Minister that unhealthy trends could be cured with public education campaigns.

The Minister said: "It's a matter of trying to get people to change their attitudes. Changing attitudes comes gradually."

Asked whether those predicting a crises were doom-mongering, Mr. Bascome said: "It's going to be interesting."

But he said the health for success programme in schools was ensuring children had good diets and would encourage them to continue with that in their later life.

He backed Ms Jones' call to support the farmers' market after noting fresh vegetable stands of home-grown produce were dying out and supermarket goods were not as fresh.

Exercise is also a big factor in helping stave off diabetes, noted Ms Jones. She said progressive employers such as Zurich International and Centre Solutions had health-conscious cafes and gyms.

"It's incredible how many people take advantage of of the idea," she said.

She said employers were noting the time lost through sick days and found it made sense to encourage employees to be healthy.

The farmers' market runs at Bull's Head car park every Saturday morning.