Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Conlon and the other guests for their opening statements.

I have one question before I call Deputy Sherlock. It relates to the effectiveness of the idea of normal weight, whether it be a medical assessment or a reflection on history. The safefood graph from 1950 to 2002 is alarming and shows a clear trend. We continually look at food groups and that process is continuously changing in respect of how we assess whether it is good or bad. In my lifetime I have heard that coffee is bad and tea is better, then I heard that tea is worse and coffee is better. I have heard that one should not eat butter and then that one should because some of the fats in it are beneficial. That progresses over a long period. How reliable are predictions based on BMI charts or the idea of what an optimum weight for a child is at different stages of development, given that not only is food changing but we are also inherently healthier? Is this a question that is more appropriate for the doctors?