Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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104. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what policy measures are in place in primary and secondary schools for the prevention of obesity among young people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22876/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department works together with the Department of Health and other agencies to support students in the area of health. My Department acknowledges the commitment of schools in promoting healthy lifestyle choices for students in a number of ways - through the curriculum, for example Home Economics, Physical Education and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE); through schools policy including healthy lunch policies; and by the use of resources and programmes chosen by the school such as the Active School Flag (ASF) is one such programme. Work by my Department in this area aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to make the right choices for healthy lifestyles throughout their lives.

In relation to healthy eating, my Department supports Agri Aware’s Incredible Edibles programme, a healthy eating initiative for primary school pupils. The programme is also supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Health. It encourages schools across the country to grow carrots, lettuce, potatoes, strawberries, turnips and herbs. Schools are supplied with grow packs, activity sheets and videos containing everything needed to grow these foods.

In addition, the Food Dudes Programme is a healthy eating programme developed to encourage children to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. It is implemented in primary schools and is based on repeated tastings of fruit and vegetables supported by positive role modelling and rewards. The Food Dudes Programme is currently being implemented in Ireland under an EU six-year strategy framework covering the period 1 August 2017-July 2023.

Teaching of SPHE also addresses healthy behaviours. Work is underway to update the SPHE curriculum including at primary, Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle. A new Junior Cycle SPHE curriculum has been finalised by the NCCA, following extensive public consultation, for roll out in schools in September and the draft specification published last year includes a strand on Making Healthy Choices, including a learning outcome relating to what being healthy might look like for an adolescent, including food, physical activity and other areas.