Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the introduction of calories on the menu in the restaurants in Leinster House. I am glad that Deputies and Senators will now be able to count calories when they dine in the Dáil restaurants. The introduction of calorie counts in the restaurant will allow Members to make more informed decisions about what they are eating and to think about the dietary choices they are making. This is at a time when 61% of adults in Ireland are overweight and, more worryingly, 26% of children are either overweight or obese. The Minister for Health has asked fast-food restaurants, coffee shops and catering companies to display voluntarily the calories on their menus in respect of food and drink and of the 19 companies contacted directly, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has indicated that almost half are displaying calories on their menus at present, which is greatly to be welcomed. As a person who has advocated the introduction of calorie counts on menus in restaurants generally in so far as is practical - obviously it could be too onerous in the case of restaurants that change their menus each day - it is only fitting that a start be made here in the Houses of the Oireachtas to show true leadership on this issue. I commend those involved here on the efforts to which they have gone to implement it.