'It's vulgar': Obesity expert says children get too many Easter eggs
HSE National Clinical Lead on Obesity urges parents to exercise restraint when buying treats at Easter-time
The HSE National Clinical Lead on Obesity has urged parents to exercise restraint when buying Easter eggs for their children this year.
Professor Donal O'Shea has stated "a little control in this area" would make a big difference at a population level.
Speaking on the Claire Byrne show on RTÉ this Thursday afternoon, Prof O'Shea said that on average children will receive six Easter eggs each and this is too much, particularly at a time of an obesity epidemic.
He also criticised retailers for displaying Easter eggs and other treats in a deliberate way to attract young children.
"Eye level is buy level," he said.
He also said the food and drinks industry creates a daily consumption of products like chocolate, meaning when it comes to special events like Christmas and Easter, the only way to make the consumption of these foods special is to "go large, or go vulgar".
The human brain is wired to consume, and people do not understand how hard wired the brain is to be unable to resist the combination of high fat, high salt and high sugar, he said.