Walt Disney will ban junk food ads

Media giant Walt Disney has decided to ban junk food commercials on its TV, radio and online programmes.

Walt Disney Company, 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.

Makers of junk food and sugary drinks spend about $1 billion a year on commercials directed at children under 12 years.

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.

Michelle 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 favorite cartoons on a major TV network, we wouldn’t have believed you,” Michelle Obama 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 skepticism about Disney’s move.

Still, it is all part of a growing campaign to fight obesity.

Last week, in the first move of its kind by an American city, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed to ban sales of super-sized sugary drinks in restaurants, delis, cinemas and sports arenas.