Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

It is being introduced very shortly. The food pyramid and healthy eating guidelines are being revised and the issue of the portion size, which was raised by Deputy Ó Caoláin, will be addressed in these and in the national nutrition policy. Deputy Sullivan referred to the national breastfeeding strategy operated by the HSE, which is working to give children the best possible start in life through its promotion of breastfeeding.

On capturing the public imagination in the fight against obesity, the little steps all-island campaign for making small but significant changes is in place, and research conducted for it by safefood indicates parents are increasingly aware of the dangers of sugary drinks and snacks and are now reducing the amount of these which they give to their children. SLÁN found no significant difference in participation among different socio-economic groups. The lack of facilities was not seen as a factor, but lack of time was. The most popular form of physical activity in the European Union was walking, which costs nothing. Trying to weigh schoolchildren in the manner suggested was piloted in the United Kingdom and ran into huge problems.

I commend "Operation Transformation" and the catering staff for the way they bought into it by providing healthier options for all of us. Healthy heart at work catering programmes encourage employers to provide healthy eating options in workplace canteens and is run by the Irish Heart Foundation.

On Deputy Connick's point regarding green flags, the Department of Transport ran walk to school Wednesdays as part of the campaign and has the smarter travel programme, which promotes walking and cycling as key modes of active travel. I thank Deputies for their contributions.

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