Unhealthy fare: a hamburger. Photo: PA.Fed up with ads for crisps, burgers and fizzy drinks? Think they contribute to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity?
If you do, you're not alone. Raymond Blanc, Antony Worrall Thompson and Prue Leith agree with you - as does a coalition of health campaigners, children's charities, 230 MPs of all parties and representatives of Britain's 500,000 teachers.
They are all supporting a parliamentary bill, which gets its second reading tomorrow, aiming to prevent advertisements for food products high in fat, salt or sugar from being shown on any TV channel before the 9pm watershed when, at least in theory, young children have stopped watching and gone to bed.
The television advertising (food) bill, which has been introduced by the Labour peer Baroness Thornton, will be debated for a second time tomorrow in the House of Lords.
Members of the Children's Food Campaign say that a 9pm watershed restriction on such 'unhealthy' foods being advertised would reduce children's exposure to adverts for the likes of crisps and fast food by 82%.
Even the advisory committee for England of Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, supports the idea, as does the Office of the Children's Commissioner and the Food Standards Agency. And a poll commissioned by the British Heart Foundation last year found that 69% of parents also thought such a move made sense.
Here's how Monsieur Blanc, chef-patron of the double Michelin starred Manoir Aux'Quat Saisons restaurant in Oxfordshire, explains why he's backing a measure the food industry says smacks of 'nanny state'-style interference.
"Parents try to do their job and give their children a better quality of food. But they are fighting a losing battle because advertising means they don't stand a chance of winning. The benefit of this bill would be to help parents better educate their children about food and not create contradictions in thir children's minds about the right food to eat, and start a process to force food manufacturers and retailers to create healthier food products."
Last November Ofcom considered a 9pm ban but opted instead for only stopping ads being shown during children's programming and on dedicated children's channels. This despite Tony Blair twice voicing his support for no junk ads after 9pm, either by voluntary agreement with the food industry - unlikely - or legislation.
Which brings us to Blair's successor, Gordon Brown. Just last October, talking about childhood obesity, he told GMTV: 'We have got to do something about TV advertising before the watershed hour.'
Tomorrow is the chance that the many, many people who support this move have to junk the junk and start making a difference to children's diets.
