Ms Joana Caldeira Fernandes da Silva:

I am happy to answer this. In relation to the development of the standards, the process is that our colleagues at the Food Safety Authority of Ireland develop scientific recommendations for the development of guidelines. The standards then reflect those guidelines. I will use the standards for early learning and care settings as an example. We ask that the grapes and the cherry tomatoes are served halved or quartered. The FSAI does not give any indication for children over five in relation to cherry tomatoes being a choking hazard, for example. That guidance is not there for the standards for funded school meals in primary schools.

As for the two dinners, the problem is not a hot meal twice a day, the problem is the portion. The standards follow the recommendations from the healthy eating guidelines that follow the recommendations from our colleagues in the scientific committee at the FSAI. If we ensure the child gets the correct portion of potatoes and salmon for lunch and pasta in the evening, there is no problem at all for a child to receive two hot meals. I believe my colleague Dr. Walsh would agree with that.