British health secretary Dr John Reid has rejected calls for new laws to tackle obesity.
Reid said he would prefer the food industry to introduce voluntary codes, rather than the government adopting a �dictatorial attitude�.
He has been challenged by consumer and health groups to ban junk food advertising on children�s television. There have also been demands to ban sugary drinks from vending machines in schools.
Challenged to legislate, Dr Reid said: �We would prefer to do this by voluntary participation and informed choice.�
Fizzy drinks firms are paying schools as much as �10-million (about R120-million) a year to place vending machines near classrooms. But asked on Friday if the government would order them to be removed, Reid said only that the issue would be considered during the consultation for a White Paper on future public health policy.
Green Party health spokesperson Dr Caroline Lucas said: �What we have seen so far is a completely unacceptable complacency and inaction from a government firmly in the pocket of the major food industries. The food industry won�t reform unless it is forced to.�