SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday ruled out banning junk food advertisements aimed at young children in a bid to curb burgeoning obesity levels, labelling the move a “nanny state” measure.
Asked he would support the opposition Labor Party’s policy of banning junk food ads, Howard said parents, not the government, must take responsibility for their children’s diets.
“We have a lot of advertising bans in this country and I think government has to be very reluctant to willingly embrace the nanny state by banning this and that and the other,” Howard told parliament.
“The question of what children eat is ultimately the responsibility of parents.”
A government anti-obesity taskforce said last year that 1.5 million Australian children, or more than 20 percent, are overweight or obese.
The British government is considering a junk food ad ban during children’s television programming after a health department report last month criticised fast food giants for exploiting youngsters’ ”pester power” over parents in their commercials.
Similar bans already exist in Sweden and the Canadian province of Quebec.
Latham announced the advertising restrictions as part of a 25 million dollar (17.5 million US) Labor plan to tackle childhood obesity unveils as part of a policy roll-out ahead of national elections expected in October or November.
“We don’t want children being targeted by aggressive marketing campaigns that teach them bad eating habits while they are young.
Howard is expected to announce his conservative government’s obesity plan in the next week.