| Fizzy drink and crisp advertising could be banned from cinemas in UK
Fizzy drink and crisp advertising could be banned from cinemas
(Evening Standard Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) A PROPOSED ban on junk food advertising could be extended to cinemas, billboards, websites and computer games under plans being considered by the Government.
Amid increasing concern about the child obesity epidemic, ministers believe the forthcoming clampdown on television adverts for fizzy drinks, crisps and sweets does not go far enough.
They are looking at a tougher range of controls to ensure junk food advertising does not simply migrate to other media.
A blanket ban would be a hammer blow to companies such as McDonald's, KFC, Walkers, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Kellogg's and Nestle and would encounter fierce resistance from the advertisingand food industry. But ministers believe they have no option but to act in the face of the "public health timebomb" of child obesity.
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Of Britain's five million children aged between two and 11, 15 per cent are clinically obese, while 92 per cent eat too much saturated fat and 83 per cent consume too much sugar.
Measures being drawn up by the Government include monitoring MPs to ensure they recognise the issue of child obesity and encouraging supermarkets to give loyalty card points to customers who buy healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables.
Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser Sir David King has commissioned a study into the longterm effects of obesity.
The Government is said to be looking at using "anti-obesity" drugs as a means of helping children lose weight.
More than 70 MPs have signed a Commons motion demanding a blanket ban on all junk-food advertising on television before the 9pm watershed.
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom is consulting on three options for limiting adverts for foods high in sugar, salt and fat but has so far refused to consider a pre-9pm ban, saying it would cost TV channels about GBP141 million in advertising revenue. Ministers are under intense pressure to overrule the watchdog. Health Minister Caroline Flint has started discussions with food companies and consumer groups about limiting advertising of junk foods in non-broadcast media such as websites, posters and text messaging.
Ms Flint pointed out that when cigarette advertising was banned from television in the 1960s it caused the industry to migrate to other media. "We have to look at both sides of the coin," she said.
She added: "If we don't do something about this we will have one million children obese, costing the health service between GBP3.3billion and GBP 3.7billion a year."
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