Which? food report rejected by Advertising Association

The report goes on to name and shame some of the worst offenders and gives 'The Simpsons', 'Bratz' and 'Shrek' as examples, as well as new characters created by the advertisers themselves. 'The Simpsons' have been used to promote Butterkist Popcorn, 'Bratz' lent their name to 'Bratz' Fabulous Biscuits and 'Shrek The Third' featured on Kellogg's Frosties pack with the incentive of free cinema tickets.

Three-quarters of parents interviewed by Which? said they thought it was irresponsible for advertisers to feature cartoon characters on unhealthy foods and wanted an end to the practice.

Sue Davies, chief policy adviser at Which?, said: "There are precious few examples of cartoons being used to promote healthy products."

However, the Advertising Association has hit out at the report, arguing that the industry has already made moves to curb the practice.

Earlier this year, Ofcom's first set of rules on junk food advertising to children came into effect.

The new rules banned foods high in fat, salt or sugar being shown during or around programmes that are made for or could appeal to children under 10.

Advertisers and media owners themselves have also made attempts to advertise in a more responsible manner. Just this month, Viacom's children's TV network Nickelodeon said it would no longer licence cartoon characters such as 'Rugrats' and 'SpongeBob Squarepants' for junk food advertising.

Sue Eustace, the Advertising Association's director of public affairs, said: "This report is out of date and the conclusions drawn are no longer relevant. The analysis shown in this report took place between March and June 2007 before the advertising codes were changed on 1st July 2007.

"The new codes, which were introduced in response to this issue, prohibit the use of licensed characters and celebrities popular with children in advertisements targeted at children."