Call for ban on all online junk food ads aimed at children in Britain

Reputable organisations in the UK are calling for a total ban on all online junk food marketing aimed at children.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Children's Food Campaign say the rules on packaging and online marketing need to be tightened as many parents are unaware of some junk food marketing ploys.

The campaigners want all junk food marketing directed at children to be banned and this includes online games; they say the current system of voluntary self-regulation of non-broadcast marketing has failed.

A ban on adverts for junk food during television programmes aimed at children under 16 already exists but a survey by the BHF revealed that many parents were unaware some food firms had online games aimed at children and more than half did not realise that games and quizzes appeared on food and drink labels.

The survey questioned 1,069 parents of children aged seven to 14 years in November and discovered that only 30% were aware that some junk food firms used online games to attract children - 52% of parents did not realise that games and quizzes appeared on food and drink labels.

The BHF and the Children's Food Campaign want the existing regulations extended to cover all forms of marketing aimed at children and the British government too is concerned about the issue.

The government is calling for packaging, internet sites, product placement and sponsorship all to be included in marketing regulations and admits that current regulations allows some forms of marketing to slip through the net.

The ban on adverts for junk food during television programmes came into force at the beginning of the year and adverts for foods high in fat, salt and sugar have been outlawed as part of an effort to curb soaring childhood obesity levels.

The BHF has accused junk food manufacturers of luring children to online playgrounds but the Food and Drink Federation has described the calls for further restrictions as "not based on reality".

The BHF is urging parents to sign up to its Food4Thought online petition to stop junk food marketers targeting their children.