The Food Standards Agency proposals, finalised yesterday, call for guidelines for the food industry on reducing fat, salt and sugar in children's foods; labelling guidelines; and calling on celebrities to help promote healthier lifestyles.
It is also vowing to name and shame companies that do not take heed of its advice and guidelines, and to work with schools to make menus healthier and include more options in vending machines.
In unveiling the proposals Sir John Krebs, chair of the Food Standards Agency, said: "Children are bombarded with messages that promote food high in fat, salt and sugar. The evidence shows that these messages do influence children. Eating too much of these foods is storing up health problems for their future. The Food Standards Agency wants healthier choices to be promoted to children."
While the Advertising Association said that it welcomed initiatives that will use the advertising industry's skills as a force for good, it was concerned about the FSA's proposal that foods be categorised as either healthy or unhealthy. It has consistently argued that advertising is not to blame for the obesity crisis and that it is a minor influence on food choice.
Andrew Brown, director-general of the AA, also said that regulatory restrictions would do little to bring about a fundamental shift in people's diets.
"We do not believe, for example, that the FSA proposal to curtail already limited resources devoted to sport and physical activity by new restrictions on brand sponsorship of sporting events will be helpful to tackling obesity in the long term," Brown said.
Health campaigners had been seeking an outright ban on junk food being advertised on television but the government does not look set to acquiesce any time soon. It also looks unlikely to introduce any kind of a "fat tax" on unhealthy foods.
The FSA will now finalise a draft of its action plan and then publish it for consultation.
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