A Government minister has been accused of giving an "atrocious" performance on the Government's steps to tackle adolescent obesity, which an Oireachtas committee heard is an "absolute epidemic".
Minister of State at the Department of Health Colm Burke was appearing before the Joint Committee on Health.
"Marketing of unhealthy food to children has increased significantly as children have embraced digital technologies," the minister said.
"Obesity in adolescence is an absolute epidemic now," consultant paediatrician Dr Orla Walsh warned.
Social Democrats TD Rósisín Shortall repeatedly questioned the minister on who would be responsible for regulating the advertising of food, before criticising his responses.
Would the Advertising Standards Authority continue to oversee advertisements, would some form of self-regulation be allowed, or would the newly-established Coimisiún na Meán take responsibility, she asked.
The alcohol industry obstructed the promotion of public health, Deputy Shortall said, as its aim "is to maximise profits".
She said that as the food industry is also motivated by profits its advertising needs to be regulated, and warned that they should not be allowed anywhere near public health.
Minister Burke appeared unsure of the role that Coimisiún na Meán would play, but over the course of several answers indicated that it was "his understanding" that it would have "a major influence".
The commission "will have regulatory codes" which the industry must obey, but he added: "My understanding is that they are not completed yet."
He did not clarify what role of the Advertising Standards Authority would play going forward.
"This performance is just atrocious," Deputy Shortall said, "given the scale of the problem across the population".
In Deputy Burke's first appearance before the committee since taking up his ministerial post, he revealed that a draft bill to tackle obesity has not yet been prepared.
Deputy Shortall criticised the lack of progress on what was a commitment in the Programme for Government.
Aileen McGloin is Director Of Nutrition at Safefood, which promotes healthy eating across the island of Ireland.
She noted similarities between the behaviour of tobacco firms and the food industry, and said that lessons can be learned, including from the effectiveness of banning smoking and banning advertising smoking.
Minister Burke pointed to progress which has been made by working with the food industry, which he claimed "has responded appropriately" to concerns over high sugar content in beverages.
€32m was collected in sugar tax in 2022, he noted.
This fell to €29m last year, a drop of almost 10%, which the minister said shows that sugar content is falling as a result of the tax.
But he later revealed that the sugar tax take had almost doubled from €16.3m in 2018, but said that "it is now coming back down".
Dr Orla Walsh cited research which supports the claim that that "there is no risk of causing an eating disorder" by raising the issue with children in the correct manner.
She noted that some parents are afraid to raise the subject.
