Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I wish to comment on the measure before the House today because I have raised this issue a number of times. I am unsure whether anyone has addressed the second side of the labelling issue as most Members have stuck to the issue of food labelling. I must take a contrary view to that expressed by Senator Burke to the effect he did not necessarily wish to know what food contained from a calorific point of view and so on, as I believe it to be central to a debate in this regard.

One of the greatest sports taking place in Ireland at present is that of fad dieting. A range of options can be pursued whereby some people eat only carbohydrates while others do not eat them, some people partake only of celery soup, others try to score points from Weight Watchers or other variations on this theme. All such options are easy when labelling is present but are extremely difficult when it is not. If only for the convenience of those who are trying to participate in the sport of dieting, I welcome this move towards labelling that is more concise and precise than has been the case in the recent past.

This proposal also pertains to a real problem, namely, obesity levels in Ireland. Such levels have spurred many people, as obviously has the post-Christmas period as well, to consider what they eat and to try to get healthy options. I am highly conscious that, for example, in some locations a healthy option sandwich used to be available that permitted one to know how many calories and how much salt, sugar and so on it contained. For some reason, they now have disappeared from some outlets. I challenge both the food and drink industries to develop more products. I challenge restaurants, cafes and school cafes in particular to consider labelling what they produce and to be highly conscientious about providing at least one healthy option on their menus. While one is not obliged to choose such an option, unless it is present one cannot do so. Those people who, like me, constantly battle to do the best they can, need such options. I could make many points about lambs and the support provided by the French to their farmers in this regard. For example, if one scans the label before one buying the product in France, it will display the picture of the farmer that produced the lamb or whatever. More should be done to support farmers in Ireland. The word I get back from sheep farmers is that there is a central buyer in Dublin and the product then goes back out to be processed. Consequently, the support arising from being able to deal with the local butcher is no longer as strong as it once was. This point has been already addressed by Senator O'Toole. The pork crisis was a scandal in that although some companies were selling what they called Irish product, they were not doing so at all. Use of terms such as "packed in Ireland" is not good enough and the proposed measure will address such issues.

I wish to use the few minutes that remain to me to raise another aspect of this issue, which I have raised regularly in the Seanad. I refer to the other side of the fad diet. Everyone can look at and choose food and the major retailers in particular are very good at providing information on what our food contains. However, the point that annoys me is that those involved in the drinks industry are not very good at providing information on what is in our drink. For example, were I to go out for the night intending to drink wine, unless I had done my research I would not know whether one brand had more calories than another or whether white wine was worse than red. This measure, which encompasses both food and drink, should enable me to make more informed decisions.

In this context, I challenge the industry to come up with more ideas and, although I do not like mentioning particular brands, I must do so in order that Members get the idea. In the case of Bulmers Light, the word "light" pertains to being light on calories. However, in the case of Coors Light or Miller Lite, it pertains to being light on alcohol. One must then ask what message consumers get because were they to glance rapidly at something, they would not know whether it was light in calories or in alcohol. I would never think of this, unless I was in the mode I am in at present. Alcohol industry producers, such as Guinness, should seek to create alternative lower calorie drinks and should market them as such. In the case of softdrinks, everyone knows whether a product is light, which in this case usually means light on calories.

It is highly important for people to know what is in their food and drink and that the labelling is sufficiently substantial in every case to enable people to be sure of a product's contents. While I do not know whether this measure will affect the cigarette industry, its products are consumables. When I was a Member of the other House, I was a convener on the Joint Committee on Health and Children, which carried out much research in respect of the tobacco industry. Were people to realise what the average packet of cigarettes contained in respect of the number of carcinogens, the types of poisons and so on, they would not be as addicted to them. The scare they would get from learning the packet's contents probably would overcome the strongly addictive substances contained therein.

I advocate the idea of labelling, which would be to Ireland's advantage. People here continually state that we have both grass-based animals and the best of everything. I believe we can withstand the challenge of being tested in this regard. People will buy the best product, which we believe we have, over the cheapest product if there is a difference in the quality. The French were highly annoyed that we were selling our animals cheaply into France. Because the product was good quality and Irish, French producers were being challenged. From my perspective, if good quality Irish product is available, which is real and not merely packaged as being Irish, and if we can point to those who produced it, consumers will vote with their knives and forks. I reiterate my other point, which is that restaurants and others involved in the food and drink industry should rise to the challenge of supplying the existing market for low-calorie healthy options. Were I to market anything, it would be that which was marketed here tonight.