Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I thank the Minister for her answer and I welcome the progress being made. Another related issue is that of traceability. This is not just a matter of labelling. One can insist on any labels one wants to. First, there are issues surrounding the language in which labels are presented. Second, the issue of the Sudan Red 1 dye which has emerged in the past couple of weeks has made a significant impact for consumers regarding what they are eating and what other components might be in a product, not necessarily in beef or poultry but across the whole spectrum of foods we eat.

I would like to know if there is any way of co-ordinating that information across the Departments. I appreciate that the Food Standards Authority has overall responsibility but the Minister's Department will not take questions regarding Sudan Red 1. It makes it very difficult for spokespersons on agriculture to get a response on behalf of the consumer who is eating these products. Traceability is therefore a major issue.

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