Fed up with junk food ads

Eight out of 10 parents want the Government to regulate the marketing of junk food to children, a survey released by the consumer group Choice has found.

Nearly nine out of 10 respondents said junk food ads made it harder for them to promote healthy eating in the home.

However, the survey failed to unearth whether parents would support a total ban on junk food advertising during children's television hours, an outcome Choice has been pushing for, or whether they had alternative suggestions.

Choice's chief executive, Peter Kell, said it was unlikely they were in favour of a complete ban. "I don't think any parent wants to deny the occasional treat or sweet or trip to a fast-food restaurant.

"But what parents are saying is that they feel their messages for healthy eating are getting undermined at every turn by the relentless number of junk food ads."

Drawing on responses to a Choice publication on the subject, Fed Up, Mr Kell said that at the very least parents wanted "fewer ads and less often".

The survey, undertaken by Newspoll, also found that eight out of 10 respondents said their children had pestered them for a food or drink product after they had seen an ad, or because a celebrity or popular children's character appeared on the packaging or in a promotion.

The survey results come as a House of Representative inquiry into obesity levels has extended until the middle of next month the deadline for submissions.

The Rudd Government has kept largely silent on the matter, saying it is awaiting new standards covering children's TV, including food and beverage ads, of which the media regulator is due to release a draft at the end of June.

Advertisers dismissed the results of the poll, which interviewed 320 parents in March, saying the sample was small and the questions were skewed.

"I wouldn't expect Choice to put out anything other than this," said Collin Segelov, executive director of the Australian Association of National Advertisers.

"It would be interesting to see if the results came out the other way, what they would do then."

His organisation's research had found that parents blame themselves first for not being strong enough, followed in descending order by schools, government and food manufacturers.