Phil Prendergast (Labour)

I am delighted to be part of this debate and welcome the Minister of State to the House. Many of the issues have been raised already and I will not go into them again. The other day, a baker informed me that while he is obliged to list all ingredients on a product label, there is no obligation to list the products used in wrappers, many of which are sprayed with chemicals. I had never considered this issue before but it is a matter of concern. He also pointed out that preservatives and chemicals are used to keep food fresh, a word I use advisedly. Is legislation planned to oblige manufacturers to inform consumers that chemicals have been added to keep products fresh?

I am concerned at the frequency with which environmental health officers visit fast food outlets, particularly those which operate late at night. The temperature at which foods are stored and the condition of other facilities in such outlets is a matter of concern.

The Minister of State noted the increased complexity of food safety in the area of genetically modified organisms. I also acknowledge Senator de Búrca's contribution on this issue. The Minister of State noted:

Although Ireland has traditionally adopted a precautionary but positive approach, the Irish public appears to be divided on this issue. Government policy in this area is currently being re-evaluated to ensure that as far as possible the views of supporters and opponents of the use of GMOs are taken into account.

When will this re-evaluation be completed? Who is contributing to the debate? In what forum is information on GMO foods being collated?

It was interesting to learn that when animals fed GMO foods are sold on, there is no obligation to label the resulting food products as GM modified. It is a serious error to allow members of the public to be denied the full facts.

Recently, I had occasion, as a former employee in the health service, to visit a boys' school to speak to a group of young transition year students on diet, healthy living and exercise. We had great fun during a debate on childhood obesity and the students made a knowledgeable and substantial contribution to the discussion. We talked about the importance of having breakfast and drinking water and I asked them to take part in an experiment. Instead of having breakfast rolls for lunch, they were told to eat the home cooked ham for lunch. I was aware that this product was supplied to the outlet they visited to buy lunch. Later that day, the shopkeeper in question contacted me to tell me I had not done him any favours as he had been left with many unsold sausages, rashers and eggs because the children had chosen a healthier option. This small experiment had an effect because the students tried an alternative and some of the them changed their lunchtime choices.

It takes five hours to burn off 300 calories — the equivalent of three digestive biscuits — if one is sitting and one hour if one engages in moderate walking. Awareness is lacking about the extent of over-eating. A survey on portion size indicated that a regular lunch consisting of a 250 ml soft drink, a 25g packet of crisps, two slices of bread with a slice of cooked meat and a chocolate bar contains 702 calories, which would make a substantial contribution to a person's daily calorie intake. It has now become normal to sell lunches consisting of a 500 ml soft drink, a 40g packet of crisps, three slices of bread with two slices of cooked meat and a chocolate bar. Such a lunch contains 1,294 calories but because it is not labelled, people are not aware that it makes a major contribution to obesity. The large increase in the incidence of childhood obesity has major economic and health implications. Childhood obesity has caused a large increase in the incidence of diabetes. At any given time, 70% of those who have diabetes are not aware they suffer from the condition. It is easy to diagnose the disease by performing a simple blood test. The absence of proper labelling and the practice of labelling sugar in a variety of different guises means we are not aware of what exactly we are eating.

I am concerned to learn that it is possible to add breadcrumbs to food sourced in other countries and then label it as manufactured in Ireland. This is dishonest and dangerous practice. We need to have a proper analysis of the contents of food items to allow us to make informed and safe choices.