Give Peas a Chance, says MP Beith

10.15.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 13th May 2008

Alan Beith is backing calls to help parents encourage healthier eating for children.

Local MP Rt Hon Alan Beith is backing the British Heart Foundation's war on pester power by supporting a Bill to ban junk food marketing that targets children.

Junk food marketing is pitting parents against their kids in a supermarket-aisle battle to see who is more cunning, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). A new survey of parents in the north of England has revealed the extreme tactics parents employ to avoid a junk food row on the supermarket front line. A quarter ditch their kids for the shopping trip and one in three try to bribe them by promising something else, while one in six give the confectionery aisle a wide berth and one in seven make their partner to stay at home with the kids.

Children are fighting back with stealthy trolley tactics of their own, with a third trying to sneak junk food into the supermarket trolley when their parents are not looking. 

With one in three English children overweight or obese, the BHF's Food4Thought campaign is challenging MPs to make it easier for parents to choose healthier foods for their kids by supporting a ban on junk food marketing to children. MP Nigel Griffiths' Bill proposes to ban all junk food marketing that targets children, including the use of cartoon characters, games and child-friendly competitions on food and drink packaging.

Rt Hon Alan Beith says:

"Parents are clear about what they want and I hope food producers and supermarkets will support them in helping their children make healthy choices. We all need to work together to help reduce the risk of children from developing heart disease, type II diabetes and other illnesses as a result of unhealthy diets."

BHF Director of Policy and Communications Betty McBride says:

"Modern cartoon superheroes need to harness their powers for good by promoting healthy foods to our children, rather than chocolate and crisps.

"Banning junk food pester power ammunition from supermarket shelves will make it easier for parents to make healthier food choices for their families." 

The BHF Food4Thought survey revealed that the top three successful pester power marketing tactics include free toys or tokens, TV advertisements and cartoon characters on packaging. Parents are being asked to get their MPs involved by signing an online petition to ban junk food marketing that targets children at bhf.org.uk/donttargetmykids.  

The YouGov survey of 900 parents conducted in April 2008 found almost two thirds of parents surveyed in the north (63 percent) had taken action to prevent a junk food row with their children in the supermarket. Results were weighted in order to be nationally representative.

25 percent of parents have not taken their children supermarket shopping to avoid a row

31 percent have promised them something else other than junk food

18 percent have avoided the confectionery aisle

15 percent have made their partner stay at home with the kids

33% of boys and 35% of girls aged 2-15 years are overweight or obese, according to the 2004 Health Survey for England, carried out for the Department of Health.

The YouGov survey found that 54 percent of parents in the north have been asked for junk food with a free toy or token, 45 percent have been asked for junk food their children have seen on TV, and 42 percent have been asked for junk food with a cartoon character on the packaging.

The British Heart Foundation's Food4Thought campaign aims to fight childhood obesity, which can result in an increased risk of heart disease, type II diabetes and some forms of cancer. 

The BHF is the nation's heart charity, dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, patient care, campaigning for change and by providing vital information. But we urgently need help. We rely on donations of time and money to continue our life-saving work. Because together we can beat heart disease. For more information on the campaign, visit bhf.org.uk/donttargetmykids.