Mr. Chris Macey:

Ms Morrissey may wish to answer some of the questions. There have been many studies on the extent of no-fry zones. Some 70% of our schools have at least one and 30% have at least five fast food outlets within a kilometre of the school gates. A study showed that Ireland was second to the United States out of 26 developed countries in terms of the rate of increase of fast food outlets. We have a big problem. We cannot close down existing fast food outlets so there may be an element of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted but we must start somewhere and deal with this issue. Professor Sharry discussed the obesogenic environment and there is nothing more obesogenic than fast food outlets deliberately siting themselves near schools to maximise or boost sales. In terms of the impact of no-fry zones, studies in London have shown that they work. We can forward them to Deputy Rabbitte.

We have addressed marketing as a key driver of obesity. Children constantly encounter advertising and people trying to get them to buy things that are not good for them. That takes many forms. If one goes back 30 years, shops often did not open on Sundays and closed early. Shops now open all day long and are in communities. Junk food, fast food and unhealthy food is available wherever one turns.

I disagree with Professor Sharry in terms of there being evidence of the growing disparity between the cost of healthy and unhealthy food. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland did a study some years ago which showed that a healthy calorie may be ten times more expensive than an unhealthy one. All the research and development in global food manufacturing is to the end of packing more calories into unhealthy food and making food more sugary and salty. Nobody is looking at how to make broccoli more attractive to schoolchildren or how to make fish or lean meat more accessible. All the effort is being put into packing in calories. That is where the money and marketers are and that is what is happening.