Supermarkets will be prevented from displaying unhealthy foods and sweets at their checkouts in a crackdown being considered by health secretary Jeremy Hunt.
He announced plans to consult on introducing calorie labelling on menus in restaurants, cafés and takeaways and banning the sale of energy drinks to children.
The government is calling on industry to recognise the harm that adverts for foods high in fat, sugar and salt can cause.
It will consult on introducing new TV and online advertising restrictions and encouraging companies to reduce the sugar and calories in the products they sell.
The plan also includes promoting a new national ambition for every primary school to adopt a daily ‘active mile’ initiative where children are expected to take regular exercise.
Mr Hunt said: 'The cost of obesity – both on individual lives and our NHS – is too great to ignore.
'Today we are taking steps to ensure that by 2030, children from all backgrounds have the help they need for a healthier, more active start in life.'
In response, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: 'It is a bold ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030 but we remain determined to work with government on introducing further measures to address this crisis that are not included in the plan, including giving councils powers to ban junk food advertising near schools and the need for specialised support for obese and seriously obese children.'
