asked the Minister for Health the steps, if any, taken by his Department to promote health education of the individual in dietary matters.
Written Answers - Health Education in Dietary Matters.
35.
My Department recognises health education as a major factor of the preventative and promotional nutrition policy in Ireland.
The Nutritional Surveillance System was established in 1984 to provide ongoing information about the nutritional status of the population. It can identify at-risk groups of the population and, amongst other measures, steps can be taken to provide information and education on nutrition appropriate to these groups.
The Food Advisory Committee in recent years has issued four major reports on diet and nutrition. These are "Report on Fats and Oils in Human Health", "Public Health Policy on Diet and Heart Disease", "Nutritional Preparation for Pregnancy" and "Guidelines for Preparing Information and Advice to the General Public on Healthy Eating", which has recently been revised by the committee. The reports form the basis for education in their subject areas. For instance, the Health Education Bureau has based a number of booklets on diet and health on these reports. These include "Healthy Eating", "Your Guide to Better Eating", "Health and Sport" and "Food and Babies". These booklets will continue to be made available through the new Health Promotion Unit which is being established in my Department and which will have a continuing responsibility for the provision of information on diet and nutrition education at national level.