Misleading or ambiguous nutritional claims on food labels should be expressly forbidden by law, a report on food labelling compiled for the Minister for Agriculture and Food has recommended.
The report, compiled for Mr Walsh by a committee under the chairmanship of Mr Ned Sullivan, said examples of such claims were "fat free", "light" and "natural".
One of the main recommendations of the group was that consumers should be provided with information on any potential allergen in a food they buy either pre-packaged or loose over the counter or in the food service sector.
The group also recommended that a compulsory module on food safety-labelling should be included in the national school curriculum and Safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board, should carry out public awareness campaigns about food labelling, allergens and consumers' entitlement to clear, accurate labelling.
The group said that only when an imported food undergoes substantial transformation in processing in Ireland, can it be designated as Irish.
"Consumers should also be provided with information on the total meat content, broken down by the species from which it is derived, in all processed meat products or food products with meat as an ingredient, sold in retail and food service outlets," it said.
"Currently it is possible for imported foods which have undergone little change to masquerade as Irish because of the absence of specific legislation in the area."
It recommended that information on the origin of fresh, chilled and frozen sheepmeat, pigmeat and poultrymeat sold in retail outlets, pre-packed or otherwise, should be declared.
Information should be given on the origin of the primary meat protein source in meats sold in the food service sector.
It said with processed meats and foods with meat as an ingredient, an EU regulation will come into force on July 1st of next year, making it compulsory to have the total meat content broken down by species indicated on the label of pre-packaged meat products.
Mr Walsh thanked the group for its work and said he would make an appropriate response early in the new year.