Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in. There was more of a culture around cooking when I was younger. It was economically driven at the time, in that it was cheaper for a household to cook than to go out and buy ingredients or buy pre-packed food. What role is the marketing of food products playing in the eating habits today according to the parents and children the witnesses have interacted with? What effect is this having? Is marketing superseding the economics of eating? Is the strong tailored packaging and marketing superseding the affordability of these products? In the past, it was a given that a person would cook but that was on affordability grounds as opposed to health grounds. People could not afford to eat out, or takeaways and fast food. What have been the witnesses' findings in this regard?