My own young children are spellbound by the latest ads for confectionery, snacks and sweet drinks which appear during their favourite programmes in the morning or afternoon. These ads are hugely influential in creating desire for products which may be 'cool' for their novelty and packaging appeal but have no nutritional value whatsoever. In many cases these products are actually bad for children.
TV ads fuel peer pressure in nurseries and schools, where young children want to be seen to have certain products in their lunch boxes every day.
This is bad news for parents who are trying to provide healthier options and also trying not to spend too much on pre-packaged products which can be expensive.
It would be good to see continued pressure for tighter controls on TV adverts for foods high in salt, sugar and fat. I am sure there are many parents out there like myself who would like to see a ban on the advertising of unhealthy foods during children's programmes and before 9pm.
This would still give the big food brands the option to advertise their healthy choices at any time. I wonder what other Nursery World readers think?
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