Food manufacturers may wish to make the information on their printed labels clearer after a politician criticised what he called misleading packaging.

James Reilly, the health minister in Ireland, said many brands are not being altogether transparent over how many calories products contain.

For example, he explained that it is possible to pick up a bag of crisps and see a reading of 130 calories on the peelable labels, but not realise that this means per 30 grams, not for the whole packet.

Mr Reilly described this as "disingenuous" and said companies doing it "need to get their act together".

He suggested that the French policy of bringing in taxes on soft drinks and other unhealthy things in 2012 could be worth considering.

Earlier this month, nutritionist Amanda Ursell said portions of food today - including crisps and scones - can often be twice as large as they were in the 1970s, resulting in people consuming many more calories per snack or meal.

Denny Bros Ltd , 29 September 2011