New advertisement rules will not stop childhood obesity in Ireland
New rules banning the advertising of unhealthy and fatty foods during children’s programmes will have little impact on childhood obesity, it has been claimed.
As the Irish Heart Foundation condemned the rules for not going far enough to protect children, the Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) said they were based on a flawed science.
FDII director Paul Kelly said while he welcomed a decision to exempt cheese from a string of blacklisted foods, the UK-style model used to determine the nutritious value of some products unfairly deemed them unhealthy.
He said: “The UK system is unscientific, out-of-date and based on the concept of a 100g measure rather than on the actual amount people eat. This means that foods such as dairy and cereal products, which are vitally important to Irish children’s diets, are classified as unhealthy.”
The new rules, published by the Broadcasting Authority Ireland (BAI), will come into force on September 2. Ads for crisps, fizzy drinks, sweets, pizzas and breakfast cereals are among those to be banned before 6pm in a bid to tackle childhood obesity rates.
Original controversial plans to include cheese among the blacklisted foods were scrapped late last year after the Department of Health intervened and highlighted its health benefits. While cheese adverts will now be permitted, they will include an on-screen message advising a recommended maximum daily allowance.
Mr Kelly added that while advertising officials should have based their food classification model on more scientific Irish research, he welcomed the BAI’s decision to exempt cheese from the new rules.
The Irish Heart Foundation said the advertising ban on foods with high fat, salt and sugar content should be extended by a further three hours – until 9pm.
Head of health promotion Maureen Mulvihill said the charity was “extremely disappointed” by the new rules, accusing the BAI of putting commercial interests ahead of children’s health. She said the most popular time for children to watch TV is between 6pm and 9pm, so they will still be exposed to the adverts.
Ms Mulvihill said: “Ireland had an opportunity to learn from the UK example, which did not go far enough with a ban until 7pm.”
Smoker’s costs employers €4,700 a year
BECAUSE OF CIGARETTE BREAKS, ILLNESS COVER AND HEALTH CARE COSTS
Smokers cost €4,700 a year more to employ than non-smokers, a study has claimed.
American researchers found that cigarette breaks, increased absenteeism and greater healthcare costs combined to the extra burden smokers place on employers, with smoking breaks alone amounting to more than €2,000 in lost productivity each year.
Researchers from the College of Public Health and Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University calculated that time off work cost €400 a year, lower productivity €360 and smoking breaks a huge €2,400 per year. Extra health care costs came to €1,600 a year.
However, because smokers tend to die at a younger age than non-smokers, annual pension costs were an average €230 less for an employee who smoked. The total estimated additional cost to the employer came to €4,700 per year.
“Employees who smoke impose significant excess costs on private employers. The results of this study may help inform employer decisions about tobacco-related policies,” the researchers said.
Some US firms have begun charging smokers higher premiums for employee health insurance, while others have said they will fire employees that do not quit smoking within a given time period.
In the UK, it is not unlawful to advertise jobs as only available to non-smokers, and employers can deduct time spent smoking at work and not engaged with duties from an employee’s salary.
“It is important to remember that the costs imposed by tobacco use are not simply financial costs,” the US researchers added. “It is not possible to put a price on the lost lives and the human suffering caused by smoking. The desire to help one’s employees lead healthier and longer lives should provide an additional impetus for employers to work towards eliminating tobacco from the workplace.”
Country property values outside Dublin rise by as much as 1.2%
CSO DATA SHOWS HOUSES IN CAPITAL WORTH 1.3% MORE THAN IN APRIL 2012 AS PRICES UP NATIONALLY BY 0.8% IN APRIL
Residential property prices outside Dublin increased for the first time in four months in April, rising by 1.2 per cent.
The average price of properties in the capital also rose during the month – but at a far slower rate of 0.2 per cent.
The Central Statistics Office’s Residential Property Price Index shows that prices across the State increased by 0.8 per cent in April, compared with a 0.5 per cent drop in March and a 1.1 per cent decline in April of last year.
The month-on-month increase in April suggests that weakness in prices in the first three months of the year was likely a result of the ending of the Mortgage Interest Relief Scheme at the end of 2012.
The pending expiration of the scheme is thought to have provided a temporary boost to demand, and therefore prices, in the final months of the year. However, the bringing forward of purchases is likely to have drained demand temporarily in the first months of the year, thereby causing the reversal of the gains of later 2012.
Property prices were, as a whole, 1.2 per cent lower in April than at the same point last year. The rate of decline in the market has slowed significantly, with the data showing prices fell by 16.4 per cent in the period between April 2011 and 2012.
Against trend: The figures for April go against a trend of property prices in Dublin outperforming those outside the capital. The CSO found that house prices in Dublin were flat in April. Despite falling by 1.3 per cent in the last three months, house prices in Dublin are 1.3 per cent above the level recorded in April of last year.
Dublin apartment prices increased by 1.8 per cent in April but were 2.9 per cent lower than in the same month in 2012. The CSO said this sector suffered from considerable volatility given the low number of transactions involving apartments in the capital. For example, apartment prices were said to have fallen by 7.2 per cent in March.
When apartments are included, property prices in Dublin increased by 1 per cent in the year to April, the CSO said.
Property prices outside the capital were 2.7 per cent lower in April than at the same point last year and were down 1.3 per cent over the previous three months.
House prices in Dublin now stand 55 per cent lower than at their peak in early 2007. Apartments in Dublin are valued at 61 per cent less than they were in March 2007.
Outside Dublin, the fall since 2007 has been less steep but property prices have nevertheless fallen by 48 per cent.
Nationally, property prices are 50 per cent below their boom-time peak.
Government increases use of jet at a lower cost price
The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and other members of the Cabinet are spending more time using the Government jets than their predecessors, but at a cheaper cost.
New figures published this evening show the cost of using the two aircraft so far this year was almost €600,000, compared to nearly €640,000 in 2010.
The Department of Defence operates two aircraft to transport Ministers around Europe, the US and Africa.
The Gulfstream 4, which operates long-range journeys and the Learjet which does more shorthaul flights, have different costs per hour.
This evening the Department of Defence has published usage statistics since 2008.
Looking at the first four months of this year the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Ministers have spent just over 150 hours on board in 34 trips costing just under €600,000.
In the same four months in 2010 the previous government spent 116 hours on board in 30 trips when the cost was higher at nearly €640,000.
Miles of gold discovered over Monaghan, Cavan & Armagh by Conroy resources
CONROY resources HAS DISCOVERED A THIRTY MILE GOLD DISTRICT IN IRELAND RUNNING ACROSS COUNTIES ARMAGH, MONAGHAN AND CAVAN.
Conroy Gold and Natural Resources said it has received a further positive mineralogical report as it plans to develop its first operational gold mine at Clontibret in Co. Monaghan.
The company has discovered a thirty mile gold district in Ireland running across Counties Armagh, Monaghan and Cavan.
The new report involved an analysis of the mineralogical characteristics of both the flotation bulk Concentrate and rougher tailings, the company said. It shows that gold grade in the bulk concentrate was very high at 32.8 g/t with 3 g/t silver while that contained in the rougher tailing had a much lower gold grade of 0.25 g/t and 1 g/t of silver.
In effect, this means that the amount of gold likely to be recovered from the flotation process will be high while the amount likely to be lost to tailings will be low, a statement from the company indicated.
“I am very pleased to see the continued positive progress in the metallurgical testwork which is most encouraging as we move forward with the technical studies required for the planning and development of the Company’s first operational gold mine,” said company chairman Professor Richard Conroy.
2.7Km Asteroid 1998 QE2 flies past Earth safely
An asteroid that measures nearly 2.7km (1.7 miles) across has flown past the Earth.
The space rock, which is called 1998 QE2, is so large that it is orbited by its own moon.
It made its closest approach to our planet at 20:59 GMT (21:59 BST), but scientists had said there would be no chance it would hit.
Instead it kept a safe distance – at closest, about 5,800,000 km (3,600,000 miles).
That is about 200 times more distant than theasteroid “near-miss” that occurred in February – but Friday’s passing space rock is more than 50,000 times larger.
Prof Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “It’s a big one. And there are very few of these objects known – there are probably only about 600 or so of this size or larger in near- Earth space.
“And importantly, if something this size did hit us one day in the future, it is extremely likely it would cause global environmental devastation, so it is important to try and understand these objects.”
This fly-by gave astronomers the chance to study the rocky mass in detail.
Using radar telescopes, they were due to record a series of high-resolution images.
They want to find out what it is made of, and exactly where in the Solar System it came from.
Prof Fitzsimmons said: “We already know from the radar measurements, coupled with its brightness, that it appears to be a relatively dark asteroid – that it’s come from the outer part of the asteroid belt.”
Early analysis has already revealed that the asteroid has its own moon: it is being orbited by another smaller piece of rock that is about 600m (2000ft) across.
About 15% of asteroids that are large are “binary” systems like this.
This celestial event was not visible to the naked eye, but space enthusiasts with even a modest telescope might be able to witness the pass.
After this, asteroid 1998 QE2 will hurtle back out into deep space; Friday’s visit will be its closest approach for at least two centuries.
Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in potential hazards in space.
So far they have counted more than 9,000 near- Earth asteroids, and they spot another 800 new space rocks on average each year.
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