Health groups have welcomed an announcement by Masterfoods, the makers of Mars and Snickers chocolate bars, to stop targeting advertising at the under-12s.
The decision means an end to advertising on children's programmes and magazines for the company's products, which also include Maltesers, Bounty and M&Ms.
The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) described the ban as a positive step which should be followed by other snack manufacturers. However, it called on food companies to go further by banning advertising for snacks on all programmes before a 9pm watershed.
In Britain more children watch Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing than children's programmes, IHF health promotion manager Maureen Mulvihill pointed out.
"If we are to see significant change in children's diet we need much more radical change in advertising practices. We would like to see a total ban on advertising and marketing to the under-12s of foods that are high in sugar."
A spokeswoman for Masterfoods Ireland said its products were aimed primarily at 16-24-year-olds. "There may be some children watching programmes such as ER or football that carry our advertising but we're not aiming at them."
Rival snack manufacturer Nestlé does not operate an age limit on advertising. A spokeswoman for Nestlé Ireland said all the company's marketing, globally, was governed by its consumer communication principles, which paid special attention to advertising to children and were among the strictest in the industry.
"Nestlé strictly complies with all national legislation and we actively comply with all regulatory and legal requirements in Ireland." Cadbury Ireland, the biggest chocolate maker here, could not be reached for comment.
The decision by Masterfoods, which will apply also to new media, follows a threat by the UK regulator Ofcom to ban advertisements for junk food on programmes aimed at under-16s and adult programmes watched by many children.
No such ban exists here, although the code of practice of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland says that children's advertising should be responsible and should contain warnings about the dangers posed by sugary food and drink to children's health.
Ms Mulvihill said the BCI code, which is to be reviewed next year, had fallen "way behind" standards in the UK. Advertising and marketing practices were linked to the poor diet of children and increasing levels of obesity, she said.
