No More Junk Food on TV

Junk food is one of the most insidious evils that face the planet today. How many dreams are lost? How many lives left unfulfilled because people do not have the health and vitality to pursue what means most to them? Please be an example to America and establish that a healthy people are a happy people and a strong country. -- Jonathan Burgess

Go ahead and ban junk food ads that target children, but there have to be other reasons for obesity. It appears that the investigations into obesity are focussed entirely upon the intake of fat, sugar, salt and exercise level. Maybe there are other reasons. Is there something in today's foods that slows down metabolism? Why not make comparison studies of individuals on the same diet that have large differences in weight. I know a number of fat people who deserve to be skinny. Let's think outside the fat, sugar, salt, exercise box. – Steve Roberts, Canada

In the US, we have sacrificed the current and future health of our children on the alter of free enterprise and free speech. We allowed companies like McDonalds to use images of clowns and cartoon characters to lure our children to consume fat and sugar laden foods designed to minimize cost and maximize sales. This food is no different than alcohol or tobacco and should not be marketed to children. The long term health effects in terms of obesity and the effect of eating habits on nutrition are matters that must be taken very seriously. The European countries I have had the pleasure of visiting still seem to have a culture of family meal time accompanied by carefully prepared meals. Proliferation of fast food and the accompanying temptation to take the easy way out will destroy this culture. It may already be too late for the US. Europe may still have a chance to stop this scourge. -- Tim Morris, US

I think banning junk food ads to children during prime viewing / listening hours is a very good thing. I hope that the EU will manage to do this. Perhaps your example will then help us to at least diminish this type of advertising in the US. – Anne Lewis, US

There's no doubt about it: Children love sweets

I am 100 percent for banning junk food ads. Children are the No. 1 place to stop obesity, but we as adults need to improve also what we take in. Someone told me that the kids won’t eat if I don’t buy this and that. Well that sounds like the kids are in control of the food intake and that the children are controlled from advertisement. What the house supplies and the way adults eat will in turn teach and help our children to eat better and make wiser choices of the food they eat. Someone told me if we stick to the outside isle of a store the major healthy choices are there and the inner isles are the chips and pop. Vending machines are another bad invention because all you must do is drop a coin in and the junk food is given to you. They should also be banned from schools and work places and put a kitchen in work places and each week it would be one worker’s responsibility to prepare a healthy lunch for the crew instead of TV dinners and all the quick meals available to through in the microwave. -- Patrick Emrich, Canada

I am happy that the EU is considering the banishment of fast food advertising targeted at children. I hope that countries in Europe do not allow lobbyists and industry money to cause legislators to "look the other way" while the population becomes subjected to a barrage of advertising for junk foods, junk drugs and an overall "junk life," like we have been subjected to in the USA. Unfortunately, our US government officials have become addicted to the large sums of money they receive from various industry "trade groups" and are no longer able to legislate "for the good of the people". Europe: Please do not become another America. Instead, learn from our mistakes. -- Nick Mancini, born in Italy, now living in California, USA

It is a good step but the experts should work on ways to introduce a policy that eliminates diabetes and other complications related to sugar in food that ultimately leads to obesity and related complications. A ban on ads is a good first step. Schools would do well to introduce physical education and its importance. -- Rzwan Ghani

Initially I thought the idea of banning junk food ads targeting children would be a good idea. But who feeds them? Who buys it and provides it, and is ultimately responsible for allowing them to eat the junk food -- parents, schools, relatives, friends, etc.? It has permeated every age group -- not only children. Banning ads is a cheap band-aid fix. More drastic measures are needed. Go directly to the source: demand, educate, regulate and produce better food instead. Require food producers to meet these new standards. -- PM Puljic