High sugar foods that are targeted at children should be treated 'like cigarettes' and be in plain packaging, an expert on obesity has said.
HSE Lead for Obesity Professor Donal O'Shea said obesity is now the biggest driver of ill-health in society.
Plain packaging involves removing all branding and standardises the packaging to a uniform colour and design.
Prof O'Shea told Newstalk Breakfast a change in the law would also remove sugary foods from children's eye level.
"I would introduce legislation so that the high fat, high salt, high sugar foods that the food and drinks industry are targeting at our three-year-olds, five-year-olds and 12-year-olds would be treated a bit like cigarettes," he said.
"They would be invisible, they wouldn't be at eye level for the child, they wouldn't be wrapped in packaging that is very specifically targeted to the age group that the product is designed for.
"We need to learn the lesson from the tobacco battle, if you like."
'Name on bottle' campaign
Recent research finds one-in-five primary school children in Ireland are overweight or living with obesity.
Prof O'Shea said we have to look at approaches that work to tackle the issue.
"We need to just take it head on and do what works; and we know that plain packaging reduces the attraction of items," he said.
"Coca-Cola [has] been involved with advertising brand management for over 100 years.
"When they launched their 'name on bottle' campaign back in 2011 it became the most successful campaign ever [and] reversed the downtrend in consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.
"If you had plain packaging that 'name on bottle' campaign just couldn't happen".
'It drives massive disease'
Prof O'Shea said childhood obesity has knock-on effects for the rest of a person's life.
"Childhood overweight and obesity tracks into adulthood and it drives massive disease," he said.
"Initiatives like plain packaging will reduce consumption and the pattern of consumption".
Prof O'Shea said people who may criticise the suggestion should have an alternative approach.
"We need to have the discussion and I think anyone who's saying that needs to come up with an alterative to allowing the food and drinks industry to pedal food-like products that are wrapped in the most attractive, targeted packaging," he said.
"Just walk into Barack Obama Plaza to pay for your petrol and see what you're walking through".
Prof O'Shea added that Portugal has already introduced a similar plain packaging scheme in certain places.
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