Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2017
235. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 378 to 381, inclusive, of 17 October 2017, the resources that are required for the independent testing of foods for fat and sugar content; if estimates have been submitted for same; the negotiations that have taken place regarding the use of external laboratories for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44675/17]
View answerIn the context of the Deputy's question, my Department liaises with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on a regular basis.
The FSAI has been validating food industry salt reduction work for many years. It has carried out this work by sampling foods from the market and having them analysed in the HSE Public Analysts Laboratory in Galway. This data is published annually and is available on the FSAI website.
The FSAI is exploring the validation of FDI sugar and fat reduction work. In the first instance, it has been developing baseline data on specific foods based on food labelled data and a report on this work is expected in the coming weeks.
At its inaugural meeting, the Obesity Policy Oversight Implementation Group (OPOIG) agreed to establish a sub-group on Reformulation, which will primarily set targets on reformulation of food and drink. It will also make recommendations on addressing reduction of portion sizes and on monitoring and validation procedures; and in this context, the question of resources required for independent testing of foods - including by external laboratories - will be considered.
