Vol. 405 No. 3
303 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's position on the fortification of foods having regard to the recently published report that over 60 per cent of Irish women are deficient in vitamin thiamine.
The 1990 Irish National Nutrition Survey carried out by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute does not substantiate the findings of the report referred to by the Deputy. This survey showed that the mean and median intakes of thiamine by Irish women in all age groups were approximately equal to or greater than the recommended dietary allowances specified in my Department's guidelines for preparing information and advice to the general public on healthy eating.
The question of the fortification of foods generally will be considered in due course by the nutrition sub-committee of the Advisory Council on Health Promotion. It is also an area to which the Commission of the European Communities will be directing attention in the near future.
