Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I grew up in the yellow pack era, and I do not recall crazy advertising or particular branding. It was just plain packaging. There was a lot of that in my house when I was growing up. Perhaps that was a good thing, but it is not as prevalent now. We are tackling sugar sweetened drinks, but there are also high content sugar products. We have to start looking at those, particularly confectionery - I do not want to name particular products - which includes chemically sweetened chewy bars. They are not chocolate or nougat; I do not know what they are made of. Kids are buying many such products which are clearly not good for them. By eating one every day, it is not a treat, it is normal, as has been correctly pointed out. I am as guilty as the next parent in caving at least once a day to requests for crackers, cookies or lollies. It is an issue we should start addressing in a meaningful way because it has become endemic in the first world.

A tax on high sugar content should follow the introduction of the sugar tax for sweetened drinks. I recall the outcry, when I was in my teens, about additives. The witnesses will remember when we all became aware of what E-numbers were. An additive called E123 killed people, and it was in many products. However, it disappeared quickly. We can run with our over the counter, weirdly shaped and brightly coloured confectionery, as Deputy Mitchell correctly pointed out, but I wonder where we should go on this issue because there are so many of these products. Marketing and advertising are key. That is why I was interested in what Dr. Tatlow-Golden meant by loopholes. She was not referring to a loophole, but rather a lack of direction in the standards. They are antiquated and old and they have been run through like a juggernaut by companies marketing their products. It is the job of companies to sell the product. If Ms Tatlow-Golden had a choice, what would the next step be? What measure would have a significant impact on the outcomes for children brought up in this State?