Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, to the House for this important debate. Some people have already responded to the report of the national task force on obesity, which represents a wake-up call. I spoke to some teachers of my acquaintance who were quite shocked about the extent of the report's evidence of the unhealthiness of the diets of this country's children. I echo the remarks of Senator Quinn, who asked what we propose to do about this problem, now that we know about the extent of it. I do not agree with Senator Ulick Burke that the report is over the top. I accept that he did not say the report was scaremongering, but that is what I took from his comments.

We need to consider the form of action we will take in respect of this serious issue. As the Minister of State said, some 39% of Irish adults are overweight and 18% of them are obese. Children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. There is clear evidence that Ireland has turned into an unhealthy nation. How do we ensure that Ireland becomes a healthy nation once more? I suggest that we take a series of small measures, the most important of which is an examination of Ireland's relationship with food and attitude to being healthy. We should create a culture that promotes the notion of healthy bodies in adults as well as children. We do not need to look too far for examples of people who have very unhealthy lifestyles. It can take a great deal of planning to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It can be a struggle to get up early to go for a walk and to eat properly and regularly, rather than reverting to processed snacks which are full of refined sugar and have a high fat content.

As the mother of a 12 year old daughter, I know it can be a constant battle to ensure that one's children have a healthy diet. One faces unending pressure to give them food like crisps, sweets, chips, nuggets and burgers. That children are rewarded by being given unhealthy food such as sweets, or being treated to a visit to McDonald's or Burger King, is a telling indication of our relationship with food. It would be useful to bring about a transformation in that attitude, but it will not be easy because it has been instilled over generations. The availability of sweet, processed and fattening food has increased significantly. When my generation was growing up, it was rare that one would be given such food, but the current generation seems to eat it every day.

Senator Quinn rightly pointed out that modern forms of lifestyle — in many families, both parents are working — puts a great deal of pressure on people to make time to produce healthy food. We all know that many secondary school pupils have "pub grub", including a portion of chips, for their lunch. While that is simply accepted, it adds to the sense of unhealthy eating.

I agree with Senator Cox that schools have a significant role to play. I would go so far as to suggest schools should ban unhealthy food and allow only health food. The intake of refined sugars, processed foods and, in particular, fat should be cut down. We must create an environment which promotes a healthy body.

I hope health promotions will result from this report. Role models should play a part in any advertising campaign and these should be people known to have high regard for a healthy body. We do not have a high regard for what healthiness is, namely, a healthy body, a healthy mind and the confidence and better feeling that results from taking exercise. Such healthiness is not actively promoted. It might be promoted a little in schools but this does not work through all the messages that children, in particular, receive.

Senator Ormonde had a go at parents, suggesting they are responsible for the problem. While I accept parents are responsible for the problem, many do not know how to generate a healthy diet. It is not simply a question of giving out leaflets. We must work hard to educate people as to what is good and not good, because they do not know. They do not read the labels on foodproducts and do not know, for example, that monosodium glutamate is not a good product to consume on a regular basis, or about the amount of added sugars and fats in many products widely available in supermarkets.

A friend of mine suffers from type 2 diabetes. Due to attending education programmes and seminars, she is now aware of what goes into day-in, day-out products which, for her, are quite dangerous. However, we know from figures provided to the House by the Minister that many people are on the way to getting diabetes but do not know about it. We have a lot of work to do to educate the public.

While I applaud Senator Quinn for the responsibility he took with regard to his company, the food industry has a lot to answer for. The Government needs to accept this before we can move to make the industry more responsible, particularly with regard to advertising and labelling. Much work has been done on such issues, in particular by the European Union, with the result that information on packets is now far more extensive than previously, and, therefore, consumers have a choice. However, we are constantly bombarded with foods that are, in many cases, dangerous.

Children do not know that, preferably, they should eat two raw items of food every day. Many people, including children, do not eat any raw fruit and the notion of eating raw vegetables is like a joke. Therefore, this is the level at which promotion is needed. We must promote healthy food and give a bad press to unhealthy food.

My daughter and I recently watched "Super Size Me", the extraordinary documentary from the United States about McDonald's. It would put anybody off that kind of food. However, the week after watching the documentary, my daughter told me that she and fellow pupils went to McDonald's following a school trip. It is very hard to combat such habits. There is no question but that children are a mirror of their parent's lifestyles.

I welcome Senator Minihan's point about the stigma of being overweight, which is undoubtedly correct. If nothing else, we need to recognise that for children to be overweight is a dreadful legacy for them as they enter their teenage years or adulthood with a problem for which they never asked, and for which their parents and the community are responsible. Children will be stigmatised and blamed as time passes. There is extraordinary irony to the fact that while we have a problem with obesity, anorexia is also an issue for some teenage girls. The question of body image must be considered.

To return to my core point, our responsibility is to promote a sense of healthiness, namely, a healthy body, a healthy mind and a healthy approach to what we put into our bodies. We have laws which state it is wrong to put unleaded petrol in cars but none which state it is bad to put processed food into our bodies. We must create an environment in which people ask themselves whether what they eat is good for their bodies and health in the long run.

Some time back, perhaps during the last Seanad, we discussed the alarming increase in cancers, diabetes and heart disease in the Western world, which is connected to lifestyle and the food people regularly consume. A solution to the problem would have a significant pay-off for the Exchequer in that the cost of obesity and bad health is an enormous burden for us to bear. If for no other reason, we should take this important matter seriously. I look forward to the Minister coming back to the House with an action plan for Members to debate which has at its heart a proactive approach to being healthy, and which can help transform us from being an unhealthy nation to a healthy nation, a fact of which we could be proud.