Ms Shipley is concerned about childhood obesity

The advertising of food and drink during "toddler" television programmes should be banned, a Labour MP has said.

Debra Shipley says the images of burgers, biscuits, crisps and nibbles can only contribute to the onset of obesity in later life.

She claims the Department of Culture, Media and Sport - which is responsible for advertising during toddler television - "has failed to take action to prevent high fat, high salt and high sugar content food and drink adverts being targeted at pre-school children".

The Stourbridge MP now hopes ministers will back her Children's Television (Advertising) Bill, which will outlaw food and drink advertising during programmes for children aged two, three and four years old.

My bill calls for a ban on all food and drink advertising during toddler TV scheduling Debra Shipley MP

Ms Shipley says figures from the Department of Health (DoH) show that 85% of children are failing to meet the recommendations for the consumption of sugars and 92% are failing to meet the recommendations for saturated fat intake.

"Our children are increasingly suffering from obesity and diabetes," she told MPs.

"These are potential killer diseases and they are of great concern to the DoH which recognises that children are eating too much fat, sugar and salt.

"The DoH is tackling this appalling situation with an excellent national school fruit scheme, providing free fruit each day to thousands of pupils."

Targeting children

But while the DoH claims to have in place cross-government programmes to improve healthy eating, these "do not seem to have reached the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in connection with television advertising", said Ms Shipley.

"The department has failed to take action to prevent high fat, high salt and high sugar content food and drink adverts being targeted at pre-school children, that's two, three and four year olds.

Shipley: Advertising industry has 'vested interest' to oppose bill

"Little children, watching independent television channels, are daily being bombarded with images of happy little boys and girls eating high fat, high sugar and high salt content food and drink."

The MP says children are caught by catch-phrases and jingles designed to appeal to them and pictures which attract their attention and remain in their young minds.

Sustain, an alliance of more than 100 groups concerned about food issues, has campaigned to prevent food being specifically targeted at children.

Costly exercise

The group's efforts are backed by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Diabetes UK believes the aggressive marketing strategies of food companies, exposing children to these food types, is responsible for the increase in diabetes and obesity in youngsters, said Ms Shipley.

"It is costing the NHS approximately �5bn a year. This is an expense met by the taxpayer and not the multi-billion pound food and drink industry."

The MP says the "multi-national, multi-billion pound food and drink industry" opposes the bill, claiming if it is successful there will be less children's TV broadcast.

"This seems to me rather threatening and also undermines their own case that children's TV is a form of public service broadcast," she said,

Exercise

This group claims diabetes and obesity in children is "nothing to do with them" and stresses that youngsters should exercise more, she added.

"They should exercise more, but they should also eat less fat, sugar and salt."

Ms Shipley's bill, which is due for a Second Reading on 11 July, is backed by 130 MPs, the National Heart Forum and Parents Jury, part of the Food Commission.

However, it is unlikely to become law due to a lack of parliamentary time.