A ban on television advertising of food to children has been ruled out by telecoms regulator, Ofcom

A ban on television advertising of food to children has been ruled out by telecoms regulator, Ofcom. It said other factors such as exercise, family eating habits and food labelling had a greater influence on rising obesity. Ofcom researched the issue of food advertising at the request of culture secretary Tessa Jowell. Research was conducted with 2,000 children, parents, teachers and nutritionists to explore why children chose particular foods. The report Child obesity - food advertising in context can be downloaded at www.ofcom.org.uk.