MPs have said Tony the Tiger, the Milky Bar Kid and the Honey Monster should be banned from promoting sugary snacks, after Jamie Oliver told a committee that cartoons and superheroes should not be used to “peddle rubbish”.
The calls from the Health & Social Care committee also include a ban on junk food adverts before the 9pm TV watershed.
The calls are in an effort to cut childhood obesity, with 1 in 3 children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school. Long time campaigner and TV chef, Jamie Oliver has warned Theresa May to act now as “the future of the NHS is at stake”.
Amid reports of manufacturers failing to reach previous targets to cut sugar levesl in products a spokesperson for the Department of Health & Social Care said “Childhood obesity is a complex problem, decades in the making.”
“That’s why we have the most ambitious plan in the world to tackle it, our sugar tax is funding school sports programmes and nutritious breakfasts for the poorest children, and we’re investing in further research into the links between obesity and inequality.”
Do you think popular superhero and cartoon characters should be banned from promoting sugary snacks? Comment your thoughts.
