Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2012
8Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will provide and update on the work of the special action group in obesity; the initiatives he plans to implement to tackle the issue of obesity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8385/12]
View answerI thank Deputy Buttimer for raising this important and topical issue. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased at alarming speed in recent decades, to the extent that the World Health Organisation terms it a "global epidemic". I saw an alarming slide produced at a talk I attended on the spread of obesity. It traced the spread throughout the USA starting in the 1960s. State after state became coloured in red. The disease has become widespread throughout the USA, Europe and Ireland.
Obesity affects all age groups of the Irish population. Of particular concern is the rising level of obesity among young children. Recent figures from research commissioned by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs found that an alarming figure of one in four children are overweight or obese at 3 years of age. Everyone knows that obese children have a high chance of becoming obese adults.
Last year I established a special action group on obesity chaired by my Department. The group includes representatives from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Education and Skills, the Health Service Executive, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Safefood. Its remit is to examine and progress several measures to address the complex and multi-factorial problem of obesity. Alone no single initiative will reverse the trend, but a combination of measures should make a difference. The special action group is concentrating on a specific range of measures including healthy eating guidelines for the Irish population; restricting the marketing of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt to children; nutritional labelling; calorie posting on restaurant menus; the promotion of physical activity; and the detection and treatment of obesity. The group will work with other Departments in a cross-sectoral approach to help halt the rise in overweight and obesity. I take this opportunity to welcome the work of Senator Eamonn Coghlan on physical fitness and its value.
As part of the group's plan, earlier this month I launched a national consultation to seek opinions on the best way of putting calorie information on menus. This is an initiative I announced late last year when I wrote to fast food outlets and cafes requesting that they begin including calorie information on their menus. The consultation being conducted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland is an opportunity for consumers and the food industry to give their views on how information on calories on menus can be best implemented in Ireland. The consultation will close at the end of February and the results, when analysed, will inform the next steps in the process.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
All the initiatives being considered by the special action group on obesity will form part of the development of a wide ranging public health policy framework which is being developed by my Department.
The aim of this initiative - Your Health is Your Wealth: A Policy Framework for a Healthier Ireland 2012-2020 - is to develop a high-level policy framework for health and well-being to cover the period 2012-20. It will address the broad determinants of health and health inequalities through our health services, community and education settings. It is anticipated that the review will identify a number of key lifestyle policy issues such as smoking, alcohol and obesity where further action is required. It will identify practical ways to strengthen working between sectors to promote and protect the health and well-being of all sectors in our society. The aim of this process is to engage leaders and policy makers across Government and society to recognise that improving the public's health is the responsibility of all sectors of society and not just the responsibility of the public health workforce.
I thank the Minister for his response. I agree with him that there is a need for collaboration and a multiagency approach with regard to obesity. The figures he has given are alarming, particularly the figure relating to those under the age of three. The Minister is correct to say that no single measure will address this problem.
With regard to the posting of calorie information on menus, the Minister said the consultation period ends at the end of this month. Will he give us a brief outline of what he hopes to do following the consultation period? The Minister mentioned Senator Coghlan, who has pioneered the issue of obesity in the Seanad. Is it possible the Minister will consider appointing an obesity czar?
Most of the big food chains have responded with regard to posting calorie information. I congratulate those contributing to debate on this issue in a progressive fashion and I look forward to meeting them in the not too distant future. Those who have responded include McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others. People are entitled to make informed decisions. If they do not know the calorie content of what they are eating, they are not in the position to make that decision and are only guessing at the calorie content. The information needs to be posted. I commend McDonald's on starting to do that.
The responses of the various food chains will inform the debate and we also intend to bring in a voluntary code. However, if people do not adhere to the code and it does not prove fruitful, we will legislate. We are entitled to protect the well-being of our children and have a duty of care to do so. Equally, citizens are entitled to know what they are eating. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland will help establishments with the work. We do not expect small cafes to have the resources to measure the calorie content of everything they produce and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland will have a major role in doing that. We will be realistic about this. It is tough enough in business without putting additional costs on people. However, posting the calorie content of the food along with the price is not too much to ask.
On the question of an obesity czar, that is something we are considering. An interdepartmental group is working on this and we may look at Deputy Buttimer's suggestion to appoint a well-known person to this role.
It is important to have cross-party and cross-sector collaboration on this. The Minister is correct to say that no single measure will address the issue of obesity and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, of which Deputies Kelleher, Ó Caoláin and Regina Doherty are members, will prioritise this issue in the next month or so. I agree that people are entitled to know what they are eating and the calorie content of that food. People must also be responsible for their choices and individual actions.
I had a lot to say on this issue last night in the context of the Private Members' debate on stroke. It is clear an obesity epidemic faces society and that the epidemic in the United States has moved on to Europe and to the United Kingdom in particular. We have a habit of copy-catting what happens there. Any efforts made to reduce obesity here will get cross-party support and I encourage the Minister, who spoke passionately last night on this issue, in that regard. There is no short term political gain in this, but there is an obligation on everybody to ensure we put this information in place in order to protect the future generation.
Will the special action group on obesity focus on children in primary and second level schools? The earlier we start to make an intervention, the better. We need to involve the Department of Education and Skills and other agencies because there is always a risk with the presentation of such information that we might stigmatise some people, particularly young people who might be overweight, which could contribute to other health related problems as they grow older. The greatest care must be employed in promoting fitness and good health with a particular focus on obesity.
I acknowledge the great cross-party co-operation there has been on this issue. As we are aware, obesity plays a significant role in stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is worth repeating what I said last night, that if we do not address this issue, we may well be the first generation to bury the generation that follows us. In my earlier career as a GP, I never saw young people with type 2 diabetes, but now it is commonplace. This is frightening.
I agree with Deputy Ó Caoláin that we need early intervention education in primary and secondary schools because eating habits form early in life and are difficult to break. Hence the high incidence of obese adults who were obese as children.
