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Food Poverty

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 June 2021

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

Questions (247)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

247. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the initiatives being undertaken in his Department in relation to addressing food poverty; the research or scoping exercises being undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27801/21]

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Written answers

Food poverty is a cross-governmental area involving a number of Government departments.

The Programme for Government “Our Shared Future”, in the chapter “A New Social Contract” contains a commitment to “Work across government to address food poverty in children and ensure no child goes hungry”. There are also actions relating to food poverty under First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, and the Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025.

There are a number of initiatives underway in relation to this area. In relation to the commitment in the Programme for Government, a Food Poverty Working Group has been established by the Department of Social Protection, and this Working Group has the key relevant Government Departments sitting on it, including the Department of Health. From a nutrition policy actions perspective, and to assist with the Department’s contribution to the Working Group, a Healthy Eating Food Poverty Working Group under the Healthy Eating Sub Group of the Obesity Policy Implementation Oversight Group has been established.

The School Meals Scheme operated by the Department of Social Protection, working with nutrition standards developed under the aegis of the Department of Health, maintained during the summer of 2020 and during the more recent school closures due to the pandemic. Healthy Ireland is also working on Nutrition Guidelines for Food Parcels with safefood and the HSE.

A Food in Schools Forum has also been established to provide strategic leadership and guidance on food in schools initiatives, and to help ensure that food provided is representative of the Healthy Eating Guidelines and makes a significant contribution to childhood nutrition. A pilot meals programme in Early Learning and Care settings is due to take place in 2021, and Healthy Ireland is leading on developing nutrition standards for this.

More broadly, the Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021-2025, launched in May 2021, features an additional theme on “Reducing Health Inequalities”, and this will be a major focus of Healthy Ireland and Sláintecare. The goal of the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme will be to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of the most disadvantaged communities in Ireland, with health-specific interventions targeting smoking, social prescribing, parenting, healthy eating (e.g. expansion of the Healthy Food Made Easy programme), and Making Every Contact Count.

In terms of research, in the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) report published in January 2020 and based on 2018 data, the main study reported a drop of 3% in those reporting ever going to school or bed hungry, at 19% compared to 22% in the previous study based on 2014 data. In the HBSC middle childhood survey, in 2018 28% of 3rd and 4th class children reported ever going to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home, compared with 29% in 2014.

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