By Lisa Richwine
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Reuters) - Banning junk-food ads aimed at children is not the answer to the U.S obesity epidemic, the head of the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday.
Prohibiting ads for unhealthy foods "is impractical, ineffective and illegal" under the First Amendment, which protects free speech, said Timothy Muris, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
"I think banning marketing is a distraction. Even our dogs and cats are fat ... and it's not because they're watching too much advertising," Muris said at an obesity conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, sponsored by Time magazine and ABC News.
Some critics of the food industry argue that shrewd and costly marketing has influenced U.S. eating habits and contributed to a rise in obesity, along with overeating and a decline in exercise.
They argue that food deemed too high in calories or fat content should not be advertised to children, while more efforts should be made to encourage a balanced diet.
The FTC, which polices advertisements for misleading claims, considered restrictions on food ads but decided against the idea in the early 1980s, Muris said. Some opponents accused the agency of trying to be the "national nanny" watching eating habits.
"There's lots of things government can do, but I don't think government can prevent children from nagging their parents," Muris said.
But parents feel "outgunned by the food industry" in trying to influence what their children eat, said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group.
"It's time for the government to step in," she said, suggesting some restrictions on ads for high-calorie, low-nutrition foods to children, as well as more ads for healthy options.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, based on a ratio of weight to height known as BMI (body mass index), and about half of those are considered obese, according to government statistics.
Obesity raises the risks of heart disease, some cancers and other health problems and adds billions of dollars in health-care costs.
The U.S. advertising industry has launched its own defense against calls for tighter government restrictions on food marketing in light of the epidemic.
A report released Wednesday by the National Advertising Review Council argued that the industry's self-regulation over three decades has resolved the bulk of questionable food and health claims in advertising and should remain the main mechanism for such disputes.