GOVERNMENT'S CALORIE REDUCTION EXPERT GROUP AND LOW CALORIE DRINKS

That this House notes with interest the statement of the Calorie Reduction Expert Group commissioned by the Department of Health which concluded that an extra calorie intake of between just 16 and 24 calories per day had led to increases in personal weight of between 6.2 kg (median) and 9 kg (90th percentile) for adults aged between 20 and 40 years over the decade 1999 to 2009 and that a reduction of 100 calories per person per day across the population would address this energy imbalance; and reminds the Minister for Public Health that, consistent with the findings of the Expert Group, the intake of caloric beverages has a significant impact on weight, the single most effective action that Government could take to improve public health, at no cost to the Exchequer, with no need for regulation and avoiding unpopular taxes on popular consumer products is to issue clear and consistent messages that people who want to consume a sweetened beverage, should consider a low-calorie option.