Crisps sales are falling

Debra Shipley presented a Private Members Bill in the Commons on Tuesday.

The Children's Food Bill is backed by more than 100 organisations, including the British Heart Foundation and the National Union of Teachers.

However, Ms Shipley said the Bill is unlikely to become law. "There are vested interests out there who are trying to pick off MPs," she said.

The Bill would require the Food Standards Agency to draw up guidelines on healthy and unhealthy foods, which would then be used to inform a ban on the promotion of unhealthy foods at children.

It calls for regulations to improve school meals, and to ban the sale of unhealthy foods in school vending machines.

And it would see food skills being taught as part of the National Curriculum.

Ms Shipley, Labour MP for Stourbridge, failed last year in an attempt to introduce a Bill calling for a ban on advertising of food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar during children's television.

She said: "Obesity has doubled in six-year-olds and trebled among 15-year-olds over a 10-year period.

"It is no longer good enough to hold consultations, produce reviews and call on the industry to mend its ways. Action is urgently needed."

Ms Shipley urged the public to get behind the Bill.

"We have to build a momentum so that it cannot be stopped but against us we have multi-national organisations with millions of pounds to oppose it," she said.

"What needs to happen is for public opinion to be raised to a point so no party can ignore it."

Snack sales

The move comes as figures from market analysts TNS suggest that the public has begun to heed warnings about the need to cut down on "unhealthy" foods.

They show UK sales of salty snacks in packets up to 60g were �283.4m in the 12 months up to February this year - down 10.9% from �318.1m in the previous year.

Overall the market for snacks bought on impulse fell by 2.2%, from �2.14bn to �2.10bn.

Impulse sales are defined by TNS as single packs bought from shops and designed to be eaten immediately.

Sales of standard-sized chocolate bars fell by 1.2% to �708.2m while "sugar singles", such as fruit gums in small packets, dropped by 5.1% to �144.9m.

Trade magazine The Grocer, which published the figures, said: "Obesity has been one of the hottest media issues of the past year and it appears that the acres of newsprint covering government scare tactics to shock the nation into slimming may finally be taking its toll in the impulse arena."

Tips

Burning off 160 calories A 70kg person would need to: Walk briskly at 3.5mph for 30 minutes Play tennis for just over 20 minutes

Dr Hannah Theobald, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, told BBC News Online that other research had suggested snack food consumption was rising.

"A packet of crisp contains an average of 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. One or two a week is OK, but eating a packet every day is too much," she said.

"If you are a snacker then try to eat pieces of fruit or chopped vegetables instead. Maybe keep them in a drawer at work - it is easier to resist unhealthy snacks when you have food at hand."

Martin Paterson, of the Food and Drink Federation, criticised attempts to introduce a new law.

"The Food and Drink Federation is clear that we need tight, workable advertising codes. However restrictive action rarely delivers positive results."

MPs on the Commons Health Select Committee are expected to publish recommendations next week on how best to tackle obesity.