Catherine Noone (Fine Gael)

I compliment RTE on its current series, "Operation Transformation". It has got people moving around the country and it is making them aware of the problem we have. It highlighted to me the fact that food chains, in particular fast food chains, are not doing what is being done in the United States and in the United Kingdom now, namely, displaying food calories on their menu boards. The Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, has written to the various fast food businesses in the country but he has had a limited response. Legislation has been introduced in the UK and if it is required in this country we should introduce it. McDonalds in the North, for example, has calorie counts for each item on its menu boards. It should be very easy for it to do the same in the Republic but it could be viewed as a disincentive for certain customers. Whatever the reason, it would be an incentive for menu items with a lower calorie count if the calories were listed on menu boards.

There is an epidemic in this country and we are heading the same way as the US in this regard. We should take the lead from the US where the obesity problem is chronic. We are definitely heading in that direction. I do not know the exact statistics but I will do some research on it in the coming days. The statistics on the number of people in this country who are obese or overweight is increasing every day among the young and those who are pregnant. It is a serious issue. If we need legislation I see no reason not to introduce it to make businesses show the calories contained in its food, especially if they are already doing it, for example, in the North of Ireland. They are selling the same food all over the world and it is very easy for them to do. Supermacs has given the ridiculous excuse that it would clutter the menu boards. That is absurd. This issue may sound "fluffy" compared with economic issues but it will cost the country a fortune in the future because the health service will be completely stuffed with people who have illnesses relating to obesity. I call for a debate on obesity, healthy eating and the related issue of alcohol with the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, if he can afford us some time.