The battle raging over the advertising of less healthy food and drink products to children took a new turn this weekend.

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Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell told the Guardian newspaper that she was planning to ask the new television regulator Ofcom to draw up a tough new code.


Given the currently exponential rise in child obesity rates, many experts are of the opinion that current regulation on food advertising to children is too lax. Jowell said that the government had a responsibility to protect children from forces beyond their control, and that current rules were not strong enough to do this. However, she did not go so far as to mention an outright ban on advertising foods high in sugar and fat to children.


Official figures for 2002 show that 8.5% of six-year-olds, and 15% of 15-year-olds are obese.

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