Paul Hopkins

The Fact OfThe Matter

PAUL HOPKINS PAUL HOPKINS Our wastefulness gives us food for thought

Hands up those who remember real fried bread? Not the limp, half-hearted specimen that shu es unashamedly these days around the plate of a Full Irish but the genuine article fried in the fat left over from the Sunday roast.

In those days real men (and women) knew their fried bread and that it would put hairs on their chests (well, perhaps not the women). In those days too, there was little, if any, wasted food in the house of my upbringing. Even that left-over Sunday roast would taste better the next day, chicken bones made for great soup, and you’d never be a sandwich or two short of the picnic as long as you had a scrap or two in the larder. Soured milk was a delicacy and good for you.

What little we had we valued and nowt went to waste.

Research just released from NUI Galway and Teagasc (the agriculture and food authority) says around a third of food that comes into Irish homes is being binned. e news comes as cost-ofliving pressures are making it more di cult for a growing number of families to eat healthily.

Fruit and vegetables were the most likely to be wasted, according to the study which divided those polled into three groups. e rst group, called ‘All Waste’, were people who wasted food in every way by cooking too much and throwing away leftovers. ey also disposed of food before it was even cooked and tended to buy and serve more food than needed. e second group, ‘Staple waste’, were more watchful but still ended up more likely to waste fruit, vegetables and bread. e nal group, ‘Overcooks’, were the least wasteful — cooking too much food but rarely throwing it away. e researchers point out that the UN Environmental Food Waste Report estimates that, globally, between 8% and 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste alone.

We in this neck of the woods live in a world where we are inundated with a mass of food choices everywhere we go, from Michelin-starred restaurants to fast-food outlets, to the questionable gourmet TV dinners for two, common at your local supermarket, bottle of wine thrown in for good measure. And we occupy a world where increasingly our children become obese and lethargic as they wolf down fast-food after junk-food like they were never going to be fed again in their little fat lives. e Dating Game, a study by Emily Broad-Leib, director of the Harvard Food Policy Clinic, nds that inconsistent and confusing food-dating is leading to gross wastage and that change is urgently needed.

Trying to decide whether that pint of milk left in the back of the fridge is any good? You’ll probably want to check the date. Unfortunately, it probably says ‘sellby,’ which is not exactly informative. ‘Sell-by’ date hasn’t gone by? You might pour a glass and still have it come out all lumpy. ‘Sell-by’ date went by a few weeks ago? You still might toss some perfectly good milk down the sink. e Harvard study says we tend to xate on misleading dates, assuming that anything past the date has gone bad — which is not necessarily the case.

According to Safefood, the all-Ireland body, food waste can be reduced by putting food away as soon as you get home. Check use-by dates to see what should be used rst and items such as chicken breasts bought in bulk should be stored in the freezer.

In another report, the UN says one billion people go to bed every night hungry. Not peckish nor snack-happy but tummy-aching hungry. at UN report also backs up the Irish research, saying that every year a third of all food for human consumption, around 1.3bn tonnes, is wasted, along with the energy, water and chemicals needed to produce it and dispose of it. e UN says Europe and the US have nearly twice as much food as is required by the nutritional needs of their populations.

And here’s another stat from that report: an estimated 20 to 40% of fruit and vegetables are thrown away before they ever reach the shops — mostly because they do not match Tesco’s and Aldi’s and Dunnes’ “excessively strict cosmetic standards”. e report says the one billion people in the world who are starving could be lifted out of malnourishment on less that a quarter of that wasted food.

A damning indictment.

‘Fried in the fat from the Sunday roast...

Alcoholism – ghting re with re

ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST

Alcoholism leaves a trail of destruction wherever it appears. It devastates the health and wellbeing of sufferers and tears apart their relationships. Furthermore, it is inherently sneaky, frequently making its presence known to all but the person struggling with it.

It has a close cousin, problem drinking. ere is debate whether people who regularly consume too much alcohol are, in reality, su ering with alcoholism. Given the negative portrayal of the alcoholic in society, it’s probably an unhelpful label. e truth is, if your drinking is causing you di culties, you have a problem which needs addressing. ere are many ways of tackling alcoholism and problem drinking, the most famous being Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). SMART Recovery is also a good option, as is counselling. Doctors can prescribe helpful medications too. Your GP should always be your rst port-of-call.

All of these options have a track record of success. However, like with everything, any potential solution will work for some people and not for others. Simply because somebody may have tried AA or a medication and not succeeded, doesn’t mean they are doomed to a life destroyed by alcohol. It may simply mean they need an alternative to help them beat the drink.

Another route is known as e Sinclair Method. It sounds counterintuitive so bear with me. You take a tablet, either nalmefene or naltrexone, wait an hour and then drink. Sounds crazy, right? e reason it works, and there are several studies proving its strong e cacy, is the tablet blocks the pleasure receptors in the brain. Instead of the euphoric rush somebody struggling with alcohol gets when they drink, this doesn’t happen. Over time your subconscious mind unlearns the connection between alcohol, and the ‘buzz’ it brings. is leads to you wanting to drink less and less. e TEDx talk by actress Claudia Christian ‘Ctrl-AltDel’, available on YouTube, discusses this life-changing treatment option in more detail.

Nalmefene is approved by the HSE. e di culty is in getting a prescription. Many doctors are unaware of e Sinclair Method, or they are put o by its seemingly counterintuitive nature.

Sinclair Method UK, in conjunction with Merron Medical and other private GPs in England, together with McKay Pharmacy, which has stores in Belfast, Newtownards and Templepatrick, have teamed together to o er a solution.

With Sinclair Method UK’s support, people in Ireland can access up to a sixmonth prescription from Merron Medical, which they can then collect in person at any of the McKay Pharmacy branches.

All of these organisations are approved by and fully registered with the UK government so there are no worries on that score.

Of course, there are people for whom e Sinclair Method isn’t a good option. at’s why going through a fully quali ed medical practitioner such as Merron Medical is so important. However, when this treatment path has such a great success rate, some studies show an 80% e cacy, it should at least be explored as an option.

Court upholds conviction over wildlife offences

Judge Gerard Gri n at Carlow Circuit Criminal Court has upheld the decision of the District Court to convict and ne Brian O’Reilly, Clonagh, Hollywood, Co. Laois, for ve Wildlife Act o ences, which he committed at Ballickmoyler, Co. Laois in May 2021.

At a hearing in Carlow District Court in September 2021, Mr O’Reilly pleaded guilty to all ve o ences. Judge Geraldine Cathy imposed a ne of €3,000 for the destruction of birds’ nests and their eggs and €3,000 for damaging vegetation during the bird-nesting season. Mr O’Reilly then appealed the penalties imposed to Carlow Circuit Criminal Court. e National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) took the case, which was prosecuted by Alan Millard, State Solicitor for Co. Carlow.

Outlining the details to Judge Gerard Gri n, District Conservation O cer Kieran Buckley of the NPWS, the investigating o cer, told the Judge the sheer scale of the damage to the hedgerows and the mature hardwood trees was e ectively the death of a local farmland ecosystem.

Twelve hundred linear metres of hedgerow vegetation, with an average width of eleven metres had been completely torn up along with fty-four mature hardwood trees. e nests of ve di erent hedgerow bird species were found with their eggs smashed or abandoned by the parent birds because of the damage.

He described this outcome to the Judge as a signi cant blow for local farmland birds, notably when the State had declared a Biodiversity Crisis.

e State solicitor, Alan Millard, asked Buckley what he believed may have been Mr O’ Reilly's motivation to act in the way he had and the broader environmental implications. Buckley told the Court that by tearing out the hedgerow vegetation and the mature trees, Mr O’Reilly increased the size of areas farmed to claim additional subsidy payments, which Judge Gri n described as a reward for criminality.

He also told the judge that the average age of the mature trees was 100 years; along with the sheer volume of hedgerow vegetation, these trees would have sequestered signi cant amounts of carbon before their destruction. An environmental bene t now con ned to history by the damage in icted, adding that it would take a half-century for this ecosystem to recover.

Local firms urged to get more savvy with online

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, is urging retail businesses in Kilkenny to enhance their online capability and presence in order to exploit new opportunities to increase turnover, to expand and to sell internationally. e Minister has launched a new round of the Online Retail Scheme which supports ambitious Irish-based retailers looking to grow and improve sales online and to strengthen their e-commerce capabilities. e scheme provides direct nancial support to retail companies to develop a more competitive online business o ering to complement their in-store o ering. It is administered by Enterprise Ireland and there is €9.3m available in this round of funding. “I want retailers to have every chance of competing for online sales that are currently going outside the country. ere is no reason why Irish businesses cannot successfully compete for home sales as well as international sales," the Minister said. " e Government is also determined to support more business owners to enhance their online capabilities and presence to exploit opportunities in existing and new markets.

“ e transition to online shopping was accelerated over the last two years and consumers retail habits have changed signi cantly. Many now make purchases anytime, anywhere, anyplace at the tip of their ngers or with the click of a mouse. It makes sound business sense to have an omni-channel approach to selling in order to cater for these new demands and to be competitive in the market," he said.

“Almost all previous recipients of funding in this scheme noted an increase in online sales, many in international markets and the vast majority have hired additional employees to manage their increase in online sales,” the Minister said.

In order to be eligible for this funding, applicant companies must have 10 or more full-time employees and an existing online presence. Salary costs of an internal project champion can be partially covered by this support. is person can be any employee who has the support of the management to take on this responsibility, and will work with an external service provider on the project.

* e Online Retail Scheme is open for applications now and closes on Wednesday, June1 at 12pm (noon). Find further information and how to apply at www.enterprise-ireland.com/retail.

Clune welcomes EU move on dangerous chemicals

Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has welcomed EU moves to tackle dangerous chemicals as "a major step to a toxic-free environment". e European Parliament has voted in favour of strict limits on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and their removal from the recycle chain.

Also known as ‘Forever Chemicals’ these substances take so long to break down that they are accumulating in our air, soil, food and water.

MEP Clune helped negotiate the new rules in her role as a member of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee.

Clean up your act to make a global difference

With less than a month to go, Irish environmental charity Clean Coasts is inviting communities in Co. Kilkenny to come together and start planning their World Ocean Day event.

World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on June 8 to highlight the important role the ocean has for our life and the planet. is year, the focus will once more be on the 30x30 campaign: to create a healthy ocean with abundant wildlife and to stabilise the climate, it’s critical that 30% of our planet’s lands, waters, and ocean are protected by 2030.

One of the issues a ecting our ocean is litter that has become a global problem for both humans and wildlife. However, communities in County Kilkenny have demonstrated their desire to be part of the solution by taking part in several litter picking calls to action.

Once more, Clean Coasts is asking individuals, households and groups to join them and take action to protect the ocean. As a matter of fact, the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities, which makes its way to the ocean through our waterways, and therefore, by picking up litter from your local park, street, estate, river or lake, you will contribute to making a difference for our marine environment.

To support the e orts of volunteers in Ireland, today registrations opened for communities and individual in Ireland who want to receive free clean-up kits containing bags, gloves and hi-viz vests.

Statistics show that the number one cause of marine litter is litter dropped in towns and cities. Building on the success of the Spring Clean 22 campaign, which took place in April and saw 5,000 volunteers organising over 110 cleanups in Co. Kilkenny , the National Spring Clean programme is joining Clean Coasts this year in supporting these communities around Ireland.

* To register, visit our website: cleancoasts.org/ourinitiatives/world-oceanday/

Ifac tells SMEs to get their packaging right

Ifac, Ireland’s farming, food and agribusiness specialist professional services rm, has launched its Packaging Report 2022, titled ‘Get Your Packaging Right’, to help Irish SMEs and food businesses improve their packaging strategies, reduce costs and ultimately minimise their impact on the environment.

Following the Cabinet’s recent approval of the Circular Economy Bill that aims to reduce waste and in uence behaviour to help signi cantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (including incentivising the use of reusable and recyclable alternatives to a range of wasteful singleuse disposable packaging), this timely report outlines the environmental impact of packaging and the rising costs facing Irish food businesses.

It also highlights the ways packaging can work as an e ective salesperson for brands, what retailers are looking for, the funding options available for packaging.

Also highlighted are some of the emerging packaging solutions on the market such as sugarcane and seaweed. In addition, the report features case studies and helpful learnings from Irish food businesses including Finnegan’s Farm and performance nutrition brand, All Real. e central tenant of Ifac’s Packaging Report is the importance for food businesses to conduct a packaging audit to put them in control of rising input costs. An audit helps them to identify ways to do things better and it examines processes, suppliers, materials, internal and external teams, branding and the cost associated with packaging.

Once businesses understand all the basics, they can look at how some of the emerging trends have the potential to deliver more sustainable packaging solutions for their businesses. e report also signposts Irish food businesses to Ifac’s Packaging Cost Calculator. is free tool will help any food business owner to get a real sense of the actual combined cost of packaging for their products; they can use it to itemise individual packaging costs and examine how volume increases or decreases can impact unit costs.