One episode of Britain's Got Talent could cause children to eat extra 50 calories, study finds
Watching one episode of Britain's Got Talent could cause children to eat an additional 50 calories, a study has found.
The Obesity Health Alliance analysed adverts during six live episodes of Britain's Got Talent over one week in May and June, finding that 23 per cent were for food or drink high in fat, sugar and salt such as pizza, burgers and ice cream.
According to the OHA, a child who watched all six episodes in one week would have seen more than 22 minutes of unhealthy food and drink adverts, which the charity calculated could lead to them eating an extra 300 calories.
Recent research found that seeing 4.4 minutes of food advertising was associated with children eating 60 more calories a day, while eating as little as 46 extra calories each day could lead to excess weight.
Britain's Got Talent is regularly watched by hundreds of thousands of children, viewer figures show, but is not classed as "of particular appeal" to children under current rules, meaning restrictions on junk food advertising do not apply.
Caroline Cerny, from the OHA, said: "This analysis clearly demonstrates how the food industry makes sure their sugary and high calorie food products are kept firmly centre stage in children's minds. This type of advertising is clearly linked with children going on to eat more calories than they need.
"A comprehensive 9pm watershed on unhealthy food adverts on TV and online would ensure children can enjoy their favourite programmes without being flooded by adverts for pizza, burgers and ice cream."
Malcolm Clark, policy manager at Cancer Research UK, said: "The world we live in doesn't make it easy to be healthy, and children are especially vulnerable to the onslaught of adverts that nudge us towards foods loaded with fat, salt and sugar.
"Research shows that time spent online and watching commercial TV quickly adds up and makes children more likely to ask for, buy and eat junk food - which is why the industry bombards them with unhealthy messages. Government and regulators must step in to protect the health of the next generation."
