Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes. I worked with him when he was Chairman of the transport committee. We always got on well and it was a pleasure to work with him. I commend Senator Feargal Quinn for bringing the Bill to the House. It is a pity the Minister of State has said the timing is wrong and that he cannot accept the Bill. Ireland has always prided itself on producing food of the highest quality for the domestic market, restaurants and industry. Our food producers have worked hard to build a good reputation. I welcome any measure that would enhance their attempts to further build on this reputation.

The horsemeat scandal rocked consumer confidence. When it comes to food safety, we can never be too vigilant. On the back of this, we need to find ways of ensuring it will never happen again. Tighter rules and regulations around food provenance are one way of doing this. Coming from a community in County Kerry that is deeply rooted in farming, I know the importance of food provenance. When one goes to the local market, one knows from where the food has come, that is home-grown. Why should shopping in supermarkets be any different?

It is an ill wind that does not blow good in some direction. People became very vigilant after the horsemeat scandal and it heightened their awareness of what ingredients were in their food. I believe it drove people back to the local butchers to buy their meat. Meat from a butcher is much healthier and less expensive. Ready meals are expensive when 1 lb of beef or lamb from a butcher can be made into a stew and go much further. It is also more substantial and healthier for a family. Ready meals may be handy and convenient, but they are not as healthy as a home cooked meal.

It is difficult to have all ingredients labelled. In food processing one could even be using ingredients from different countries. While we can have control over products made in Ireland, we cannot control non-Irish products. One would have to be a scientist to know what half of the ingredients in a food product comprise. Senator Susan O’Keeffe called out various products and ingredients that I had never heard of before. When I shop for groceries abroad, I always look for Irish products. There is safety in knowing they are Irish because we trust Irish produced foods.

Senator Feargal Quinn has worked long and hard in the food industry. I commend his work on the Bill. His caring for the people of Ireland is coming through in it. It would ensure people would know what they were eating and buying. Sometimes one would want a magnifying glass to find the best-before-date on food products.