Madam, - How can it be that in this day and age of unprecedented prosperity, full employment, etc., "food poverty" is on the rise in this country? According to a report by the St Vincent de Paul Society, Combat Poverty and Crosscare (May 29th) some children are missing school because there is no food for their lunch while mothers, on the other hand, are going without food so that their children can eat. These agencies estimate that "thousands" in the State are affected by this problem - mainly low income families, the unemployed, the elderly, homeless, travellers and refugee/asylum seekers.
To use a well worn TV catchphrase, "I don't believe it". I simply refuse to believe that in the Ireland of 2004 children are being held back from school because there is no food in the house or that some mothers are going without in order to feed their families. Traveller children, in my experience, suffer from an excess of rude good health rather than malnutrition while TV news reports from refugee/asylum seeker hostels show them to be a physically thriving if frustrated community.
A remark contained in another section of the report shows it to be a mere bottle of smoke; those likely to suffer, it says, ate less well, spent relatively more on food (my italics) but not on healthy options. So, a report that in one section claims to be about undernourished children and minorities now turns out to be a critique of nutritional choices. In other words, too many people are eating too much junk. Quelle surprise! - Yours, etc.,
PAUL KAVANAGH,
Domville Road,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.