Letters to the Editor: School meals programme is a wasted opportunity

1. Food waste: As someone who has observed children’s eating habits for many years, I am quite sceptical about the potential amount of food waste this programme may generate. Young children are notoriously picky eaters. Ask any mum of a primary school child about the Food Dudes programme and the amount of waste it generates, and you’ll hear similar concerns.

2. Nutritional quality: I am troubled by the fact that there is no central oversight from either the Department of Social Protection, which provides the funding, or the Department of Education. Instead, the responsibility for the quality of meals is left entirely to the suppliers. When margins are tight, it doesn’t take an expert to realise that the first thing to be compromised could be the nutritional quality of the meals.

3. Value for money: I recently read that this scheme is costing €150m annually. I strongly believe this money could be better spent elsewhere, such as by making home economics a compulsory subject in primary schools. Teaching children essential skills such as cooking basic meals, budgeting, meal planning, and understanding nutritional labels would provide them with lifelong benefits. To paraphrase the old saying: “Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day; teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.”

4. Unintended consequences of good intentions: When this programme is implemented nationwide, I fear we may see the erosion of important life skills. For many families, the evening meal is a time when children witness their parents cooking and the family gathers to share their day. Even though both my husband and I work, we make it a priority to cook and eat together as a family. I understand the rising cost of groceries and the difficulties of preparing meals every night, but the benefits of maintaining this family ritual far outweigh the challenges. I fear this tradition may be lost.

Overall, I am concerned that this programme is more of a political manoeuvre than a genuine effort to address the root issues of childhood nutrition and obesity. The government has missed a valuable opportunity to focus on educating children about healthy eating habits, which could have provided a longer-lasting and more meaningful solution.

Maeve Fitzgerald, Baltimore, Co Cork

Car-free benefits

Every year, on or around September 22, cities across the globe celebrate World Car-Free Day, encouraging motorists to give up their cars for a day. The event highlights the numerous benefits of going car-free to citizens including reduced air pollution and the promotion of walking and cycling in a safer environment. Furthermore, many of the streets and roads in Dublin and other cities and towns in Ireland are often seriously congested.

The Dun Laoghaire Rotary Club would urge all motorists not to use their cars on Sunday, September 22. To do this would probably not impose any hardship on motorists — in fact, the experience should be very enjoyable.

Martin Cowley, Dun Laoghaire Rotary Club

Pitch perfect

If Munster can occasionally use SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh as a rugby venue, why can’t the GAA in Belfast occasionally use the rejuvenated Ravenhill/Kingspan Stadium? The venue surely meets the required standards.

In the absence of a sensible answer to that question, it is hard to understand why any government should fund a new Casement Park. The kind of money involved could be put to far better use.

And, 26 years after the Belfast Agreement, that kind of community co-operation should be the norm rather than an, as far as I know, an unexplored possibility.

Jack Power, Inniscarra, Co Cork

Cruel world under a Catholic ethos

Reading Florence Craven’s and Anne Hennessy’s heart-rending letters of the physical and sexual abuse they received — at school from teachers and in the home from her mother respectively — was extremely tough going. Bravo to both for being so open and courageous about what was done to them by their fellow women.

The common thread again is the Catholic Church and the influence it had on the mothers of Ireland. The ‘Good Room’ or that special place was reserved for men of the cloth who exerted supreme power in so many facets of our mothers’ lives to the detriment of often vulnerable and sensitive children.

Anne Hennessy is, of course, correct when she says “there is no fixing this quickly” and the rush for restitution and inquiries won’t mend decades of hurts.

In that regard perhaps a “truth and reconciliation” commission similar to what was established in South Africa post-apartheid would be a better way than paying out billions of euro and saddling a new generation with the sins of the past. 

Money is nice but it won’t heal what has not been said truthfully and openly in a public forum.

One again gets the impression that despite all the reports and the cover-ups of physical and sexual abuse of children, we’re still nowhere near to knowing the full extent of the horrors perpetrated by so many men and women brainwashed by superstition and dogma, nowadays referred to as Catholic ethos.

Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry

Peace and justice

As the UN International Day of Peace approaches on September 21, we are reminded of the persistent conflicts and injustices around the world. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Community, I am acutely aware of the severe hardships our community faces in Pakistan, including the desecration of our places of worship and graves.

This year’s theme, ‘Cultivating a Culture of Peace’, emphasises tolerance, empathy, fairness, and respect. Regrettably, Ahmadis in Pakistan continue to endure systemic discrimination and violence that starkly contrasts with these ideals. While injustices exist globally, I will focus on Pakistan to shed light on the specific adversities faced by our community there.

Since its inception in 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has promoted values of tolerance and justice. Our current Caliph, His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, consistently advocates for global peace and justice, asserting that “without justice, there can be no peace”.

Despite the severe persecution we face, our motto remains: “Love for All, Hatred for None.” On this Peace Day, I urge the international community to recognise the difficulties faced by Ahmadis in Pakistan and to reflect on their individual roles in promoting justice, kindness, and understanding. Together, we can work towards a more peaceful and equitable world.

Nudrat Jahan Malik, Bettystown, Co Meath

Rising crime in Cork

Regarding Michael Moynihan’s column — Looking for some leadership in a city confronted by rising crime — I agree that Cork, day or night, is unsafe. The guards are almost non-existent, even walking on the footpaths in town is a hazard with the amount of cyclists and e-scooters using them. 

Like everything else in this country, it will take someone, probably elderly, to be knocked down and seriously hurt before there is anything done about this.

Pat Coakley, Ballincollig, Cork

Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles

I found it all rather compelling to learn that British prime minister Keir Starmer and US president Joe Biden have recently held talks in Washington on whether to allow Ukraine to fire British-made cruise missiles into Russia.

Prior to this meeting, British sources indicated that the two countries had agreed in principle to allow Ukraine to fire long-range Anglo-French Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time.

Biden appeared to suggest that this topic was one of the reasons for their recent face-to-face meeting.

The fact that there was no update after the meeting, suggests to me that this is a stratagem being used to keep the Kremlin guessing.

Ukraine sees these missiles as part of a wider war plan aimed at using them to target airbases, missile launch sites, and other locations used by Russia to bomb Ukraine.

The reason behind Britain needing the White House’s permission to allow Ukraine to use the missiles in Russia is because the British use components manufactured in the US.

However, I can understand Biden’s reticence about such an arrangement. If he were to give his imprimatur to Ukraine’s use of these missiles, then one would be fearful that a nuclear weapon would be used on Ukrainian territory or Russia might go as far as to use its nuclear arsenal on a European capital.

Biden would also have a sense of disquiet apropos to possible Russian interference in the US November elections should he grant permission for these missiles to be used by Ukraine.

It’s my humble opinion that such missiles if they were used by Ukraine will not end this war. For the war to have any chance of ending the Ukrainians would need a never-ending supply of these missiles and the cost of same would be punitive.

That old idiom of don’t poke the bear (at least for the time being) might be a sagacious move on Biden’s part.

John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary