US media giant Walt
Disney has said it will ban junk food ads on its TV, radio and online
programmes. The firm, which also
runs famous theme parks, said it was setting new nutrition standards to tackle
America's growing problem of child obesity. US First Lady Michelle Obama
described the initiative as a "game changer". However, the new rules
will not come into effect until 2015, and much will depend on how Disney
defines junk food, correspondents say. Makers of junk food and sugary drinks
spend about $1bn (£650m) a year on commercials directed at children under 12
years.
Scepticism
Disney said that any
cereals with 10 grams or more of sugar per serving or a full meal with more
than 600 calories would not be advertised. Sugary drinks and high sodium
products would also be off the air, the company said. CEO Bob Iger acknowledged
there might be a short-term dip in advertising revenue, but added that the
company would adjust and create new products that meet standards. Mrs Obama, an
active campaigner to curb child obesity, welcomed the plan. "Just a few
years ago if you had told me or any other mom or dad in America that our kids
wouldn't see a single ad for junk food while they watched their favourite
cartoons on a major TV network, we wouldn't have believed you," she was
quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. Recent studies have shown
that almost a third of America's children are overweight or obese. Inevitably,
there is scepticism about Disney's move, the BBC's Paul Adams in Washington
reports. Still, it is all part of a growing campaign to fight obesity, our
correspondent adds. Last week, in the first move of its kind by an American
city, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban sales of super-sized
sugary drinks in restaurants, delis, cinemas and sports arenas.
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