The UK's consumer watch group Which? has printed a report that states that almost four out of five British parents think adverts for unhealthy foods shouldn't be shown when children are most likely to be watching television.

But the TV advertising regulator Ofcom has said that it will not be banning junk food advertisements at kids prime-time viewing hours. They will however be implementing rules to ban junk food ads during children's programs or at least those which particularly appeal to children aged nine or below. But this is not sufficient according to Which? who think many children watch television in the evening and don't just view programs that are specifically targeted towards their age group. Their study revealed night-time television viewing for children included soap operas such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

Which? have set up a petition to lobby OfCom.

 

Following yesterday's story that plans are afoot to ban toys as a food promotion and celebrity endorsements the Sydney Morning Herald reports that campaigners are still not happy.

Activities are pressing for a total ban on junk food advertising and say that industry is 'playing around the edges'.

A spokesman a national pressure group (Parent's Jury) with more than 1000 members, said: "It's a positive move but it is not going to alleviate the concerns of parents. We believe that the only effective intervention in reducing childhood obesity levels is a total ban on advertising to children on television".

So the debate continues. I don't have any kids so maybe these concerns are more relevant today (I don't watch children's TV to see the ads or eat breakfast cereals aimed at children) but are there not wider considerations rather than a ban such as encouraging more exercise and nutrition education?

 

A new marketing code is being created in Australia. It may go as far as banning celebrity spokespeople and removing toys from kids' meals. This would make Australia the first western country to impose such measures.

The code is a response to a growing obesity problem among children that has been linked to surgery and fatty foods. According to this press release animated characters - like that tiger that use to (or maybe still does) advertise that overly sweet breakfast cereal and that annoying monkey for coco-pops that we have in the UK - will be banned as would the inclusion of promotional toys. I remember as a kid being very excited collecting cut out characters from the back of Golden Nuggets, a breakfast cereal I don't think you can get anymore. Oh happy days.

The 'your children are fat and what are you going to do about it' vibe hits New Zealand as the chairman of an international obesity taskforce, Professor Philip James, says there is too much talk about obesity in New Zealand and not enough action.

Just as Jamie Oliver is taking action in the UK's schools, this chap says children's diets in New Zealand are "atrocious" because food companies recognise that by marketing to children they can manipulate eating patterns of entire families.

James says New Zealand should ban all food advertising on children's television and cut the goods and services tax on fresh fruit and vegetables. Voluntary codes do not work, he says, and New Zealand should pass laws to ban it and all other forms of food advertising that target children. Again like Oliver, he says that schools should ban sugary foods from their canteens.