Parents are being urged to cut down on the amount of treat foods they are giving their children and replacing them with healthier snacks.

Previous research suggests that as much as 20% of children's daily calorie intake comes from foods such as crisps, sweets and biscuits. As part of its ongoing campaign to tackle childhood obesity, Safefood is appealing to parents to say no when their children ask for these foods.

It noted children are currently estimated to consume over 16kg of treat foods per year, which is equivalent to 118 bags of crisps, 140 small chocolate bars, 105 tubes of sweets and 36 packets of jam-filled biscuits.

And this does not even take into account other treat foods that children would typically eat, such as ice-cream, buns and cakes.

One in four children in Irish primary schools is already overweight or obese and this puts them at an increased risk of developing a range of health problems in the future, including heart disease and diabetes. Furthermore excess weight can have a major psychological effect on young people.

"We are giving our children treat foods every day and in many cases, several times a day. These nutritionally poor foods, which are often referred to as ‘empty calories', are given at the expense of nutritionally rich foods in our children's diets," noted Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood.

She pointed out that eating patterns that develop early in childhood ‘tend to last' and therefore parents need to be aware of the health risks associated with too many treats.

"It's simply a matter of cutting down on treat foods to a more sensible level, basically, much smaller amounts and not every day," she said.

Commenting on the latest phase of this Safefood campaign, John Sharry, CEO of the Parents Plus charity and a senior lecturer at UCD's School of Psychology, said that parents want what is best for their children and the aim of this is not to take the fun out of childhood.

"But we've reached a point where these so-called treat foods are consumed far too frequently and just aren't treats anymore. As parents, we've lost the ability to say no to our children and we need to relearn that setting these clear boundaries is an important step in our children's wellbeing and development," he insisted.

This latest phase of the campaign will feature on television, posters, the Safefood website here, and on Twitter with the hashtag letssayno.

Meanwhile, Safefood's top tips for cutting down on treats are:

-Cut down on treat foods, but do not ban them as this may make them more appealing
-Do not have a supply of treats at home. If they are not in the house, they cannot be eaten
-Keep any sweets or cookie jars out of sight
-Tell family and friends you are making changes so they know about it. Try and make sure grandparents are not handing out treats if babysitting
-When you have sugary foods, try to eat them with a meal. This is better for teeth and means children will not fill up on treats between meals
-Tell your children the the kitchen is closed when mealtimes are over, but allow them access to fruit, chopped vegetables and water and then send them off to play
-Do not be afraid to say no - in the long run, it is kinder
-Praise them and offer non-food treats, like a game of football, a trip to the playground or something to do or play at home
-Limit the amount of treats by getting into the habit of having them occasionally, keeping portions small and offering healthy alternatives, such as water instead of sugary drinks or juice, and fruit instead of sweets or chocolate.