Bid to ban junk food adverts in flab fight

By Zoë Keown

A NEW study shows a complete ban on junk food advertising could cut Scotland’s troubling childhood obesity levels by as much as 14 per-cent.

Scottish children were among six countries analysed by scientists from Australia, Sweden and the UK, with the conclusion that food advertising has a significant impact on the eating habits of six to 11 year-olds.

Junk food ads during children’s programmes were banned in 2007, but health campaigners say kids are still susceptible to seeing adverts during adult shows before the 9pm watershed and have called for a total ban.

Junk food adverts are connected to “devastating consequences” according to the study’s co-author, Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis, of University College London.