RTE Must Clarify the Qualifications of their Diet Expert Dr Marco Springmann

IFA President Joe Healy has called on RTE to clarify the qualifications they relied upon to call Dr. Marco Springmann a ‘diet expert’.

IFA has been unable to find any reference to a dietary or nutrition qualification on Dr. Springmann’s profile.

It is extremely concerning that RTE would allow someone with no nutritional qualifications a platform to comment on the merits of eating certain foods. On the Drivetime programme yesterday, Dr Springmann made the extraordinary, and incorrect, claim that ‘dairy is not a food that gives you any health benefit’.

“The Department of Health ‘food pyramid’ contains the appropriate dietary advice for people of various ages. This should form the basis for any dietary advice given by the national broadcaster,” said the IFA President.

“RTE should immediately clarify Dr. Springmann’s qualifications and make a clear statement that the public should follow the advice given by the Department of Health and qualified nutritionists, not by Dr. Springmann,” he said.