Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Is there some kind of system to award special status to food manufacturing companies that are involved in doing the things the Minister of State wants them to do such as reducing salt, sugar, and so on? I do not see any necessity. Sugar is an acquired taste, as is salt of course. However, the more of it you get the more you want, and the body becomes used to it. I should not have to tell the witnesses this. They know this. The body absorbs what is not good for it and it manifests as various illnesses as the child goes through life. I speak as one who does not use salt or sugar and has not used them for 20 years. I notice the huge difference in foods that have a sweetener or a saline ingredient. There are areas for an incisive movement to bring to everybody's attention, so we can say this is not good for us and we should not indulge in it. It should even be said to the small child, and that is through education.

Young girls, in particular, find it difficult to deal with the situation in this area. We often find eating disorders and all that is associated with them, which does not help at all. However, it is a warning to everybody that this kind of thing can happen. If we do not deal with this situation the best, we can there are downsides. We need to emphasise the situation that it is just an acquired taste. The more the individual or child gets the more they want. It is like everything else.