Ms Maureen Mulvihill:

The second action we are proposing today is the introduction of a restriction on the marketing to children of foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, such as snacks, fast foods, confectionery, soft drinks and sweetened cereals.

Essentially, these are most of the foods that sit on the top shelf of the food pyramid and which should only be eaten once per day. The bombardment of messages promoting foods high in fat, sugar and salt has contributed to a shift in the balance of children's diets and it is damaging their health.

The potential health consequences cannot be underestimated. A generation of children are in danger of dying younger than their parents. This is of particular concern to us because the foundation is dealing with heart disease, the number one killer. As Mr. Macey remarked, obesity is a major contributor to death from heart disease. Major comprehensive and systematic reviews have led to a statement from the World Health Organization to the effect that there is robust science and research linking commercial promotion of foods and beverages to poor diets in children. There are implications not only for obesity but for heart disease as well. Regardless of overweight, some Irish children are undernourished. They have a low intake of calcium, iron, folate and key vitamins, including vitamins A, C, and D, which are protective against cardiovascular disease.

Some 193 countries at the world health assembly adopted the World Health Organization's recommendations for members to limit children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing. This highlights that governments should take the lead on actions and monitor and measure controls. The current evidence warrants intervention at least on the balance of probabilities and on a precautionary scale. It is methodologically impossible to produce incontrovertible evidence of the effects of food advertising on children but there is vast evidence available it that warrants action.

The spend on television advertising has been reducing but it is still the greatest spend. For several years the foundation has called for a ban from 6 a.m. up to the 9 p.m. watershed of television advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt. We are concerned that the proposed revisions for the code of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, when published, will fall short of giving adequate protection from commercial advertising, thereby missing an opportunity to implement a key legislative response identified by the World Health Organization and many other international and national public health bodies. More children watch television between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. than during children's programming hours and the case is well made in the BAI's report by the expert working group.

However, marketing on television is only the tip of the iceberg. Sponsorship of sports ranging from the Olympic Games to other sporting events and in areas where children congregate, including theme parks and recreational areas and schools, are an issue. Packaging is an issue as well. We are all familiar from walking down supermarket aisles of the vast array of products marketed to children with characters, cartoons, links to film and colourful, creative packaging. Almost all provide some incentive on the packaging, whether a giveaway or associated collectibles or more extensive giveaways that can be accessed through linking to the Internet or texting.

The Internet is a growing area of advertising. Techniques on the Internet include incentives and giveaways which are often linked to packaging. Most of the links bring children into what is termed "advergames". These are fun, creative very entertaining games but they are highly branded with many characters and colour and symbols of branding in evidence. This is an area of immediate and growing concern because it is a low cost area for the industry, it is interactive and it has considerable appeal for children and young people.

The retail sector is another area of concern because of the placement and display of products. Many products appealing to children are placed lower down on shelving rather than at a height for parents or adults. Retail outlets have purchase incentives such as "buy one, get one free" or "BOGOF" as it is termed in the industry as well as other incentives. Hallowe'en is approaching and it used to be about fruit and vegetables and nuts at the doors but now it is all about snacks and chocolate. The retail offers are for half price and reduced price goods. These areas are outside television and they are not controlled by regulation in the same way as television and broadcast media. The result is constant exposure to marketing for unhealthy foods. This normalises these products into the mainstream diet of children. Our proposed actions include a ban on television advertisements for products high in fat, sugar and salt from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. We continue to maintain that position.

The Government and whichever is the lead agency that takes responsibility for this area should monitor marketing outside of the broadcasting sphere, especially the Internet. Parents and adults really do not know what their children are watching when they play branded games. We recognise that the Internet is global and that collaboration with other countries is necessary as part of any response. Perhaps we should consider actions in the retail area such as those announced by the Scottish Government last month. These involved the redesign of supermarkets to give less prominence to foods high in fat, sugar and salt. The authorities in Scotland have warned that if retailers and the industry do not respond then legislation will be considered.

We believe schools should be protected from all forms of marketing and commercial sponsorship. More important, they should have a health promoting environment. There is marketing in post primary schools. I accept the remarks in the presentation from Food and Drink Industry Ireland relating to primary schools. However, in post primary schools there are vending machines and tuck shops and so on. There is also sponsorship of sports, sports equipment and school events. Schools should be health promoting facilities but increasingly they are being used as marketing venues for commercial gain. The linking of foods high in fat, sugar and salt with school activities adds a strong note of endorsement and credibility to the brand or product in question.

Irish Heart Foundation research from 2007 highlighted the availability of food stuffs under discussion. Some 74% of post-primary schools provided confectionary for sale. Confectionary is the biggest form of marketing because the packaging is part of the advertising and marketing. Up to 45% of schools had drinks vending machines, 57% sold salty snacks and crisps and 52% sold sugary carbonated drinks. Our research showed that many schools have become reliant on sponsorship and funding from industry to support educational or sporting equipment. This undermines attempts by schools and the curriculum authors to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. Only 30% of post primary schools had healthy eating policies and more than 90% of schools called for a code of practice for industry sponsorship and the provision and content of vending machines. Necessary actions include the code of practice to which I have referred. In addition, adequate funding should be provided by the Department of Education and Skills to ensure funding for schools for computers and physical education equipment. This point was highlighted in our research.

We recognise that the healthy eating guidelines are due to be published. We welcome this and urge that it be done as soon as possible. Schools need support to adopt a health promoting concept and this is broader than simply addressing healthy eating and vending machines. In addition to addressing healthy eating habits and the associated culture we must ensure that the school environment supports increased opportunities for physical activity as part of any health promoting school policy. The green schools initiative serves as a good example. Under funding from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and the smarter travel programme, funding was provided for co-ordinators. There was huge success with the green schools intervention in respect of general health with increased activity in cycling and walking to schools. The physical activity theme is important. We call for increased support for physical activity.

Our priority suggestion is to ensure the implementation of the new physical activity plan for Ireland, which is currently in press. It should be adequately resourced and implemented. In 2010 we published a paper on building young hearts. It was about physical activity and young people in the physical environment. We carried out the project in partnership with the National Heart Alliance. Some of the members are here today, including Dr. Catherine Woods from DCU, who was one of the main authors. We urge the implementation of the 30 recommendations around the physical environment that can encourage our children to be more healthy. It includes making the areas around the school more appropriate for safe walking.

The measures we have proposed today are endorsed by the World Health Organization and other international bodies. Obesity is a complex area and we acknowledge that many other policies must be addressed but those outlined are our priorities for today. We believe they are actionable immediately at little or no cost to the State and they would make a real difference. However, we are concerned that they may not be implemented because up to now many of the initiatives proposed have been shelved or watered down due to the demands of industry. This has not favoured the health of our children and we believe that must change.