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Doug Weir, the association’s president, said it was time to stop “tip-toeing” around the risks associated with certain foods.

“The recommendations … may appear radical to some, but the urgency of our situation demands aggressive action,” the OMA said in a background article. “The lessons learned from the strategies of the tobacco-control movement should be applied to the fight against obesity.”

But one food industry representative called the warning labels “over the top” and unlikely to be as effective as a campaign promoting a more balanced, healthy diet.

“I think it’s shocking that medical doctors would be comparing food to tobacco,” said Derek Nighbor, a vice president at Food and Consumer Products Canada. “They’re demonizing individual products and certain categories, and they’re ignoring the overall balanced diet message, which I think is seriously irresponsible.”

As well as the warning labels for pop and other high-calorie foods with little nutritional value, the OMA urged for policies requiring store displays for such products to be prominently marked with similar health warnings. It also recommended: higher taxes on junk food and reduced taxes on healthy foods; restrictions on marketing of fatty and sugary food to children; and limiting the availability of those products in recreational facilities frequented by young people.

The group says obesity is now a “full-scale public-health crisis,” resulting in soaring levels of heart disease, diabetes and other serious maladies. Statistics Canada suggests that more than 26% of children aged 5 to 17 are either overweight or obese.

Dr. Weir said he even sees the fallout in his child psychiatry practice, with numerous patients suffering emotional problems because of being obese.