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More calls for junk food ads ban

The government was refusing to clearly spell out whether the forthcoming public health white paper would propose a ban on junk food advertising on television as healthmatters went to press.

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell said at a King’s Fund debate that the government was not afraid of ‘nanny state’ accusations. But she was noncommittal when asked about its role in protecting children from TV advertising and emphasised the importance of engaging the public in a discussion.

Her view was supported by chief executive of the Work Foundation Will Hutton, who is chairing the working for health/opportunities in employment task group – one of eight task groups feeding in recommendations to the white paper consultation.

He said the wider public would have to agree on an idea before the state could step in and regulate – but that point hadn’t been reached yet with public health. But head of health policy at the King’s Fund Anna Coote has argued that ‘most people recognise the value of governments acting on citizens’ behalf to minimise serious health risks’.

At an earlier King’s Fund conference in May, Lord Hunt said that Ms Jowell – a former public health minister – illustrated ‘the very debate in one person’ as she was ‘committed to public health on the one hand and busy deregulating on the other’.

A ban on workplace smoking has topped the list of demands of those contributing to the consultation on the public health white paper. A draft joint submission to the consultation by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health includes calls for national bans on smoking in enclosed public places and on advertising food products to children.