Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 376: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the relative merits of traffic light food labelling and GDA food labelling; if her attention has been drawn to recent research in the UK that demonstrated 62% of people misunderstood percent of GDA labels, whereas only 21% of people misunderstood traffic light labels; if she will instruct Safefood or the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to conduct similar research here; if not, the reason for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3750/07]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Central to the concept of food labelling is that the consumer should not be misled. In addition, consumers should be provided with sufficient clear information to allow them to make food consumption choices which best suit their circumstances and preferences: an appropriate labelling system is a key element to enable these informed choices to be made.

Food labelling, by its nature, covers a wide range of issues and, against this background, officials of my Department are in regular contact with officials in other Government Departments and agencies and they participate at various fora with a view to ensuring a balanced and co-ordinated approach to labelling issues — both nationally and internationally.

The intention of the 'traffic light' nutrition labelling system is to provide a clear and simple means to allow consumers to select healthier foods to support a healthier diet. However, at present, there are some concerns that such signposting information, which is essentially summary information, may be used selectively and the information provided may not reflect the full nutritional value of the product. My Department is also aware that providing such summary information on the front of pack may in fact discourage consumers from reading the full nutrition information in the nutrition panel.

There would also appear to be a profusion of front of pack labelling schemes in addition to the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) 'traffic light' system. The principal basis of alternative schemes is the use of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). However, there are many different presentations of the GDA approach on products available on the Irish market — some with traffic light colour coding and others where colour is not relevant in interpreting the GDA information provided. Consequently, there is a concern that rather than providing clarity to consumers, current front of pack labelling may actually be adding to consumer confusion.

In the circumstances, it is my Department's view that clarity in food labelling needs to be achieved through the development of a consumer-friendly, EU wide approach to nutrition labelling. My Department and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) are focusing efforts on the nutrition labelling reform process currently underway in the European Union, where front of pack labelling will be examined. Pending the outcome of this process, I have no plans to initiate research into food labelling.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 377: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to recent UK Government funded research into the food miles issue; her plans to commission similar research on the Irish aspects of the issue; if she will instruct Safefood or the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to conduct similar research here; and if not, the reason for same. [3751/07]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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As this matter does not fall within the food safety remit of either agency, I have no proposals to initiate research by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland or by Safefood (the Food Safety Promotion Board) on the issue.