European health ministers have asked recently to sign an anti-obesity charter on the ground that children should not be ‘exploited’ by food companies. The World Health Organization is scheduled to hold a conference in Turkey at the end of this month to discuss this problem and it is expected that the charter will be adopted. The main strategy behind this charter is to reduce the marketing pressure especially on children.
Health Ministers are advocating a complete ban on advertising unhealthy foods before 9 PM. According to BBC the charter urges,
Special attention needs to be focussed on vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents, whose credulity should not be exploited by commercial activities.
On the other hand, UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom is likely to make recommendations on the junk food advertising later this month. However, Ofcom does not stand for a complete ban on food advertisement.
