Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 4 October 2012

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Childhood Obesity: Discussion (Resumed)

10:00 am

Dr. Cliodhna Foley-Nolan:

I come back to one of my key points, that there is not a simple answer and that it is not about cutting down on one nutrient. It would be handy if it were; therefore, it is inaccurate and false - this has been shown over and over again - to say the problem involves one nutrient. We spoke a lot about parents and schools and they are important, but the food environment is crucial. Saying people should have wills of iron when they go to a supermarket is not realistic. We have to work with industry in having less processed food and having less temptation on every corner in order that people are given an even chance to purchase what is reasonable. The mumbo jumbo about adding this and that and less of this and the other to processed food is not based on science.

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