A Coca-Cola truck tour over the festive season should be banned, according to public health experts, amid complaints the company is “hijacking Christmas by bringing false gifts of bad teeth and weight problems to our children”.

Writing in an editorial in the BMJ medical journal, Robin Ireland, director of Food Active, a group set up by public health directors to tackle obesity, and John Ashton, a public health consultant in Liverpool, complained about press coverage of the tour in the north-west of England in which children were given a free can of the soft drink.

They noted that 33.8 per cent of 10 to 11-year-olds in the north-west were overweight or obese and 33.4 per cent of five-year-old had tooth decay.

Coca-Cola pointed out that people could choose from one of two zero-sugar version as well as traditional Coke.

The firm also said dental health in the north-west had been improving and childhood obesity was lower than at any time since 2010 so it was “difficult to understand why they [the experts] think banning the Coca-Cola Christmas truck will improve public health”.

However the health experts wrote: “The path of associating unhealthy products with health, well-being, and healthy lifestyles is one that has been well trodden down the years by the tobacco industry.

“The lessons have not been lost on Coca-Cola. In fact, you could argue that Coca-Cola started even earlier than tobacco.

“At Christmas, Coca-Cola’s marketing goes into overdrive as newspapers across the country regurgitate press releases for its Christmas truck tour, with advertorials promoting the truck as a Christmas tradition,” the public health experts wrote.

“And of course the truck is just the latest of Coca-Cola’s campaigns to become a holiday brand and, indeed, to help brand Santa Claus himself.”

They said the “stakes have never been higher for the UK sugary drinks industry”, pointing to the Government’s decision to introduce a levy on soft drinks as part of its childhood obesity strategy from 2018.

And they highlighted a Public Health England report that suggested reducing the opportunities to market and advertise high-sugar food and drink.

“Should this form of advertising and marketing be banned, given the growing evidence of the effect that marketing of unhealthy food and drink has on children?” the public health experts said.

“We believe it should and will continue to push for national action from organisations such as Public Health England to stop similar campaigns next Christmas.”

They complained that while the Coca-Cola truck tour was covered by the regional press, a letter organised by Food Active about the health impacts of a high-sugar diet and criticising the tour had not been published.

The amounts of sugar in food and drink Show all 6 1 /6 The amounts of sugar in food and drink The amounts of sugar in food and drink Minstrels A 42g bag contains 28.9g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Dairy Milk A 49g bar contains 26.8g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Skittles 45g of Skittles (about a quarter of a large 174g pouch) contains 40.4g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Ribena A 500ml bottle of Blackcurrant Ribena contains 23g of sugar, down from 50g/500ml after it was reformulated to avoid the government's tax on sugary drinks The amounts of sugar in food and drink Coca Cola A 330ml can of Coca Cola contains 35g of sugar The amounts of sugar in food and drink Innocent Smoothies A 250ml bottle of strawberries & bananas Innocent Smoothie (the middle size) contains 26g of sugar

The letter, signed by 108 people including five public health directors and current and past presidents of the Faculty of Public Health, said: “We can celebrate without allowing Coca-Cola to hijack Christmas by bringing false gifts of bad teeth and weight problems to our children."

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Great Britain said the tour, which began in 2011, was run in accordance with the firm’s “responsible marketing policy”, adding that it did not provide drinks to under-12s unless their parent or guardian agreed.

“Looking at the data referenced by the BMJ opinion piece shows that the dental health of children in the North West has been consistently improving since 2008 and that childhood obesity is lower than at any time since 2010,” the company said.

“It is therefore difficult to understand why they think banning the Coca-Cola Christmas truck will improve public health in the region.

“The fact is, as government data show, sugar intake from soft drinks by both children and teenagers continues to decline and consumption of full sugar soft drinks in general has fallen by 44 per cent since 2004.